Stories, deep contemplation, introspection, heartbreak and a dash of humour. It’s all here in the debut album from York singer-songwriter, Pete Lambert.
Release Date: 30th August 2024
Label: Broken Chair Records
Formats: CD, Digital
Pete Lambert has been generating a few waves in and around his native city of York. I Told You A Story, Pete’s debut long-player, was preceded by a string of four singles, all of them featured here, and those singles caused a number of influential ears, including those of Jorvik Radio’s Dan Webster and Rich Hardcastle, aka Dickie and Dan, to prick up and take notice. The singles – Every Time, Never Die, Ghosts and Long Shadow – have all won airplay on that pair’s Dickie and Dan’s Americana show and now, with I Told You a Story, the hosts of that show have got a whole album’s worth of material into which they can sink their fretwork sets.
Pete’s music is an intoxicating blend of folk, Americana and country and his songs cover an impressively wide range of moods and subjects; introspection, heartbreak, and the contemplation of the lives and situations of others are all here. There are stories, too and, for anyone who might think it all sounds a bit heavy-going, there’s a sprinkling of humour to lighten-up the mood.
EXEMPLARY MUSICIANSHIP
The musicianship and production on I Told You A Story is exemplary. Pete’s mellow, fingerpicked guitar is counterbalanced perfectly by a thoughtfully-selected range of accompanying instruments that include cello, double bass, fiddle, piano and organ, all played by an impressive bunch of guest musicians – I’ll come to those shortly. And Pete uses his heartfelt vocal style to make his lyrical points with absolute clarity; his is a voice that demands rapt attention.
Reflecting upon the finished product, Pete had this to say: “Writing and recording this record has been an eye-opening experience for me. Each song is a piece of my journey, from the deeply personal to the universally relatable. It’s been incredibly freeing to bring these stories to life and share them with the world.”
AN AT THE BARRIER FAVE
It all falls into place immediately. Alex Victoria (cello and backing vocals), Emily Lawler (fiddle) and Sam Jackson (double bass) are drafted in to give the sound a Celtic-Americana feel for opening track Every Time, the first of the four singles that preceded the album’s release. It’s a soft, thoughtful song and, with lyrics like the “I’m sorry for putting you through me” refrain, Pete cuts right down to emotional quick.
Producer Dan Webster adds electric guitar on Never Die, another gentle song and another of those early singles. This time, Pete’s lyrics contain a slightly more hopeful message as he expresses his hopes for a long-term commitment from his partner, despite recognizing that his behavioral lapses maybe don’t merit that commitment. Fellow Yorkie and At The Barrier fave Joshua Burnell joins the band to contribute some tasteful piano and accordion to the pared-back Drink To The End and Pete delivers an exquisite vocal. It’s a drinking song with a twist – it references the depressive aspect, rather than the joys of a long drinking session – but there’s also a kind of resigned acceptance in Pete’s voice as he sings the song’s punchline: “Let’s raise a glass, let’s take a drink, for the end of the world.”
The country-flavoured High Horizons is another pared-back song and this time, it’s Emily and Sam, on fiddle and bass respectively, who grab the attention. It’s one of the album’s several introspective songs in which Pete considers his own situation and feelings and concludes that his happiest moments always occur when he’s in the company his, often estranged, special partner.
A GOOD LINE IN BREAKUP AND HEARTBREAK
Rachel Brown’s fiddle parts are deep, rich and satisfying on the breakup song, The Way They Fall. Although I Told You a Story is Pete Lambert’s debut, it’s clear – even at this early stage – that he does a good line in breakup and heartbreak, and The Way They Fall is a great example of a sad, contemplative song, with Pete playing the part of the consummate looser.
Joshua returns – on drums, this time – for the mellow Long Shadow, yet another of the album’s singles. The opening line: “There’s a pain in my chest and it ain’t from the whiskey – it’s burning right through my poor soul” leaves the listener in no doubt whatsoever with regard to the anguish to come and the expression of self-pity is intensified by the gloriously swirling organ and Dan Webster’s simmering electric guitar. It’s one of the album’s real highlights, as is the intriguing, country-flavoured, Ghosts, the fourth and final of the ‘taster’ singles. Joshua’s back, on drums, organ and piano, and his soft, shuffling rhythm and tinkly piano fills provide the drive. Pete’s observational lyrics capture snippets from the routine, lonely, lives of a number of people and leave the listener curious to know more about how things turned out for each of the song’s principal characters.
The album’s title track is, maybe, the most vibrant, upbeat, song on the album. Alex, Emily and Joshua all play their parts as everything falls perfectly into place on a song that ‘celebrates the joy of human connection.’ And, on a album that contains a whole lot of introspection, the sugar-sweet The Things I Think is probably the most contemplative of the lot. Emily’s fiddle is beautiful and Pete’s lyrics – “The things I think, the drinks I drink, all come back to you” – will surely resonate deeply with anyone who has endured enforced separation from someone they cherish.
TONGUE-IN-CHEEK HUMOUR
Pete’s contemplations of the various aspects of the human condition and of human relationships are thoroughly engaging and the upbeat humour of closing track, Without the Whisky, comes a something of a (not unwelcome) surprise. Bella Gaffney joins the band to add the banjo that turns the song into a gentle chunk of bluegrass, as Pete gives his tongue-in-cheek summary of how his boozing has affected his relationship – he’s punched walls, he’s crashed his partner’s car (breaking his front teeth in the process) and it was, ultimately, the boozing that was the cause of breakup. It’s all told with a resigned humour, and the punchline is wonderful!
I Told You a Story is an excellent album, and Pete Lambert is definitely a name to watch.
Listen to Ghosts – one of four singles to be taken from I Told You a Story – here:
Pete Lambert online: Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / YouTube / Bandcamp
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