Connor Selby – The Truth Comes Out Eventually
In review of British blues troubadour Connor Selby’s self-titled and second, studio album, which received a Deluxe Edition re-release in 2023, FabricationsHQ noted that it was "an impressive pointer to the blues player he wants to be and, with a fair blues wind, will become."
Those winds are certainly blowing favourably through third album The Truth Comes Out Eventually, where the sound of a focussed player and more confident singer can be heard across the broader blues palette of a musician with a deep respect and passion for American roots music/ blues.
As with the Connor Selby album, there’s a preference for the more laid back approach of downtempo and mid-tempo R&B and soulful blues, but that very much parallels Selby’s introverted and reserved nature.
In other words (and lyrics), The Truth Comes Out Eventually points to who Connor Selby is as a musician, and as a person (which is exactly the point).
That all said, opening track 'Someone' starts with a country-blues vibe before heading into upbeat Ray Charles meets Stax Records territory, complete with a great horn arrangement and female backing vocals (welcome and recurring traits of the album).
'Someone' is positivity personified, as are Selby’s vocal (which occasionally flicks to falsetto highs) and his joyous, song closing solo.
Lyrically, the song points to that "someone" who finally gets you and accepts you for who you are.
Similarly up-tempo is the throwback R&B of 'All Out Of Luck,' where drummer Mike Sturgis and bassist Stefan Redtenbacher (co-writer of two of the songs with Connor Selby and the man behind the excellent horn arrangements) hit a groove and never let go. A nod here too for the great Hammond solo from Dave Limina.
The slow and blues soulful title track is another winner, bolstered by one of Selby’s best solos to date (a great example of the space between the notes being as important as the notes themselves).
It’s followed by the mid-tempo, old-school sway of '(I Am) Who I Am,' the lyrically defiant Yin to the title track’s Yang of an individual's emergence.
Country-blues ballad 'I Won’t Be Hard To Find,' which features some lovely dovetailing between Connor Selby’s forlorn vocal, Kevin Barry’s pedal steel accompaniment and Dave Limina’s piano, could have been written, and indeed performed, in a Nashville music bar. A deep cut highlight.
The groovin' six-and-a-half minutes of R&B number 'I’ll Never Learn' comes complete with a blues-cool breakdown and another expressive Connor Selby solo.
It’s followed by acoustic track 'Amelia,' a song Connor Selby has had in his locker since his late teens.
It’s a testament to Selby's ever-growing confidence that he has decided to record and release such a musically exposed and personal song (the lyric is about a friend’s mental health issues).
A sensitively crafted highlight.
Oft-covered R&B/ doo-wop number 'It Hurts To Be In Love' gets a slightly slower, horns and subtle swing makeover that fits the Connor Selby profile perfectly, as does slow and soulful blues ballad 'What Else Is There To Say.'
The latter features one of Selby’s best vocals to date, as well as another great Hammond solo from Dave Limina.
The album closes on the beautifully stark sparseness of 'Songbird,' another song Connor Selby has had since his teens.
A reflective folk-blues with accompanying vocal harmonies from Georgia van Etten, 'Songbird' acts as both an epilogue and a personal closure ("Fly on, fly away, you’ve sang your song and now you’re gone").
The truth does indeed come out eventually, but the more immediate truth is this is Connor Selby's best album to date, where musical and personal growth combine.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Click here for FabricationsHQ’s dovetailing interview with Connor Selby.
Those winds are certainly blowing favourably through third album The Truth Comes Out Eventually, where the sound of a focussed player and more confident singer can be heard across the broader blues palette of a musician with a deep respect and passion for American roots music/ blues.
As with the Connor Selby album, there’s a preference for the more laid back approach of downtempo and mid-tempo R&B and soulful blues, but that very much parallels Selby’s introverted and reserved nature.
In other words (and lyrics), The Truth Comes Out Eventually points to who Connor Selby is as a musician, and as a person (which is exactly the point).
That all said, opening track 'Someone' starts with a country-blues vibe before heading into upbeat Ray Charles meets Stax Records territory, complete with a great horn arrangement and female backing vocals (welcome and recurring traits of the album).
'Someone' is positivity personified, as are Selby’s vocal (which occasionally flicks to falsetto highs) and his joyous, song closing solo.
Lyrically, the song points to that "someone" who finally gets you and accepts you for who you are.
Similarly up-tempo is the throwback R&B of 'All Out Of Luck,' where drummer Mike Sturgis and bassist Stefan Redtenbacher (co-writer of two of the songs with Connor Selby and the man behind the excellent horn arrangements) hit a groove and never let go. A nod here too for the great Hammond solo from Dave Limina.
The slow and blues soulful title track is another winner, bolstered by one of Selby’s best solos to date (a great example of the space between the notes being as important as the notes themselves).
It’s followed by the mid-tempo, old-school sway of '(I Am) Who I Am,' the lyrically defiant Yin to the title track’s Yang of an individual's emergence.
Country-blues ballad 'I Won’t Be Hard To Find,' which features some lovely dovetailing between Connor Selby’s forlorn vocal, Kevin Barry’s pedal steel accompaniment and Dave Limina’s piano, could have been written, and indeed performed, in a Nashville music bar. A deep cut highlight.
The groovin' six-and-a-half minutes of R&B number 'I’ll Never Learn' comes complete with a blues-cool breakdown and another expressive Connor Selby solo.
It’s followed by acoustic track 'Amelia,' a song Connor Selby has had in his locker since his late teens.
It’s a testament to Selby's ever-growing confidence that he has decided to record and release such a musically exposed and personal song (the lyric is about a friend’s mental health issues).
A sensitively crafted highlight.
Oft-covered R&B/ doo-wop number 'It Hurts To Be In Love' gets a slightly slower, horns and subtle swing makeover that fits the Connor Selby profile perfectly, as does slow and soulful blues ballad 'What Else Is There To Say.'
The latter features one of Selby’s best vocals to date, as well as another great Hammond solo from Dave Limina.
The album closes on the beautifully stark sparseness of 'Songbird,' another song Connor Selby has had since his teens.
A reflective folk-blues with accompanying vocal harmonies from Georgia van Etten, 'Songbird' acts as both an epilogue and a personal closure ("Fly on, fly away, you’ve sang your song and now you’re gone").
The truth does indeed come out eventually, but the more immediate truth is this is Connor Selby's best album to date, where musical and personal growth combine.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Click here for FabricationsHQ’s dovetailing interview with Connor Selby.