In concert: John Fullbright at Unitunes Coffehouse

John Fullbright

By Paul T. Mueller

John Fullbright played a gig for a couple of hundred people in a church on December 7. It was an excellent setting for the Oklahoma singer-songwriter, spacious and intimate at the same time. Those wanting a similar experience should probably make arrangements to see Fullbright sooner rather than later. He has the chops to play bigger stages, and after seeing him it’s hard to imagine he’s not headed in that direction.

Fullbright’s show was part of UniTunes Coffeehouse, a concert series held at Houston’s Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church. In a little more than two hours, including a break, he and his band performed 19 songs, more than sufficient to show off Fullbright’s fine writing and expressive singing, as well as his considerable skills on guitar, harmonica and especially piano.

At 25, Fullbright has only two solo albums to his credit (including last year’s Grammy-nominated From the Ground Up), but his writing has a maturity that suggests a much more experienced artist. He has a delivery to match – his voice isn’t the most polished instrument, but it’s got plenty of range and a compelling theatrical quality. At the UniTunes gig, he demonstrated his power on some of his louder material, such as “Satan and St. Paul,” “All the Time in the World,” “Gawd Above” and “Fat Man,” on which Fullbright played piano and harmonica simultaneously. He’s equally at home with quieter, more sensitive material, such as “I Didn’t Know I Was in Love With You,” with which he opened the show, and “Nowhere to Be Found.”

Other highlights:

–          “Never Cry Again,” a country tune featuring excellent Telecaster twang from lead guitarist Terry “Buffalo” Ware

–          “That Lucky Old Sun,” which Fullbright described as a gospel tune but which was infused with blues as well

–          “Rain Just Falls,” a sad but beautiful ballad, which Fullbright introduced with effusive praise for its author, David Halley

–          “Jericho,” a soulful rocker featuring enthusiastic harmonies from drummer Giovanni Carnuccio III, who played most of the show with a big grin on his face (his partner in the rhythm section, David Leach, also did a fine job, playing an improbable-looking bass about the size of a ukulele)

In a nice nod to the Houston audience, Fullbright threw in a cover of “How I Love Them Old Songs” by the late Mickey Newbury, a Houston native. He closed the show with a nice rendition of Jimmy Webb’s “If You See Me Getting Smaller.” Maybe that last was a little inside joke. Nominated earlier this year as the Americana Music Association’s Emerging Artist of the Year, John Fullbright gives no indication that he’s going to be getting any smaller anytime soon.

Follow American Music News on Twitter at @AmericanaToday.