Tom Brosseau

Empty Houses are Lonely

(FatCat)

Record Review by Kate Kowsh

Blessed with a limber voice that implores even as it hums, North Dakota native Tom Brosseau casts a somber silhouette against a sullen musical backdrop. Produced by San Diego music legend Gregory Page, Brosseau’s latest album, Empty Houses Are Lonely, is a 10-track salute to the sadness that solitude brings. Using only his vulnerable, breaking voice and a few old-tyme acoustic melodies, Brosseau can make you to shed a tear faster than a choirboy on Christmas Eve. His songs sound like they were summoned from a soul as deep and chilling as a coal mine. But, when dug into, his mine never fails to produce something naturally beautiful and valuable.

In “Lonesome Valley,” Brosseau seeks out downtrodden, acoustic Americana melodies to go with his “Since you been gone…” lyrics. An alternating bass line paces the track at the speed of a slow horse trot. “Hurt to Try” is a slow moving steamroller, sprinkled with easy moving percussion. Brosseau pours his voice over the light minor chords like a glazed honey. After spacing out into atmospheric twinkles, it just evaporates, as if to say that no matter how beautiful something is, when it’s through, it’s through.