Monday, July 13, 2015

Stories for a Thousand Miles - Patrick Kinsley and A Fistful of Dollars




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Patrick Kinsley’s songs are filled with tough stories of flawed human beings experiencing various kinds and degrees of heartbreak, making bad decisions, and somehow managing some semblance of survival.  These are raw and often painful stories.  Through Kinsley’s deft writing, the stories and characters come into sharp focus, and his unique, raspy singing voice adds a gritty depth to the tales.

Joined by his band, A Fistful of Dollars, Patrick Kinsley’s debut full album, For a Thousand Miles  was produced by Jesse Thompson at Blue Duck Studio in Nashville, Tennessee where Kinsley has made his home after spending two year toiling in the New Orleans club scene.

“Hard Times” kicks off the album with a Classic Country driving song and “For What That’s Worth” closes it out with a folk-inspired tune that leaves the listener still on the endless highway, bruised and battered,but better off than when they began the journey. And the album is a journey.

Along the road, there are some guitar licks that would make Chuck Berry proud (“A Little Further North”) and the songs… and the stories… and the characters. The strength of the album lies in Kinsley’s rich literary songwriting voice and in something perhaps a little harder to define.  Musically, the album offers a restrained diversity. The harder rocking songs are (often barely) contained while the slower songs are infused with a raw energy that keeps the album moving.

It is this continuity that makes the album work as a whole - like one long drive filled with many different experiences but all leading to the same - albeit uncertain destination. It seems appropriate that the album leaves the listener still on that open highway, because one hopes this is just one leg of a much longer journal for Patrick Kinsley.




“Back in Illinois”, the first single, was released back in June with a humorous video which casts Kinsley as a self-help guru. (Watch)




The second single, “Little Tin House” may be the saddest song on the album. (Listen)





The full album is set for release July 14 through the usual portals, and a Nashville album release party will be held Wednesday July 15 at The Basement (the original one). (Go!)



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