Rich O’Toole released, one month ago, on November 21th, his new album, “God is A Gentleman“, via PTO Records, produced by Taylor Tatsch. As we can suppose, seeing the artist’s Mom on the album cover, it’s a very personal LP, wonderfully written, with a lot of relatable songs about love, despair, religion, and life in general. The lyrics are wisely chosen, each word expressing with subtlety and delicacy the state of mind, the doubts and weaknesses of the Texan artist.
“Hate” is one the most beautiful and powerful songs of the album, and probably one of the best tracks ever written by Rich O’Toole. It’s a song full of painful and hurtful lyrics, about wounds and love. The verse “Most of all, I hate that I’m still in love with you” is absolutely beautiful.
“My Own Funeral” is a splendid song, very personal and masterfully written, about an argument during a dinner and how we feel after that kind of moment that we all have known while being in a relationship.
“I didn’t know I was dressing up for my own funeral
All the things you said to me put me on the ground
I didn’t know I was dressing up for my own funeral
You should have just dumped that bottle of wine on the top of my head”
My Own Funeral
“Hill Country Rain” is a beautiful song, wonderfully cowritten with Emily McLoud, with some beautiful and subtle piano, an instrument quite present all along the album, and that gives it its identity and singularity, compared to the guitar-driven songs that Rich O’Toole usually sings.
“Lucie” is an excellent love song, about a girl that the artist met while he lived in New York, who was her real state agent.
“Lord, Lucy, will you ever forget me
I loved when you were with me on those wild New York nights”
Lucie
If most of the songs present on “God is Gentleman” are sad ones, there’s also hope and positivity, with the beautiful and catchy love song “Lighthouse“, and with the brilliant title track, about the importance of the religion for the Texan artist.
“God is A Gentleman” is different from the other albums of Rich O’ Toole, particularly his last ones, “New York” and “Ghost“. More personal, down-tempo and piano-driven, it’s a coherent album, beautifully written and sung with a lot of delicacy and sensibility. Don’t miss the short film that Rich O’Toole recently released (link below), directed by Callan Harrison: it captures perfectly the essence of the record.
Nicolas Davelu
Country Music France 