“Divorce…whiskey…legal problems…cheaters…lies. I’m a pro at what not to do.” Whatever story comes next, it’s going to be a good one. That line comes from Broken Cup, the opening cut on Pi Jacobs’ latest release, and what comes next is indeed good. Two Truths And A Lie is collage of stories about female characters that are fighting for themselves, generally against expectations.
No Sin To Be Poor is a rock and roll number about taking pride in your “three jobs and a couple of babies” and keeping the right priorities. Waitress Blues is just that, a bluesy ballad about all the crap waitresses take and what motivates them. A Little Mercy adds some R&B grooves to the blues while admonishing people to give working momma some relief.
Sometimes the heroine’s fight is against inner demons as much as those of the world around them. My favorite song on the record is First Thing Tomorrow, a funky blues co-write with Ted Russell Kamp. It’s about having the best of intentions get trampled by the current state of affairs. Rearview is also about moving forward, in this case with a more successful tactic of realizing you have “nothing to lose in the rearview”. Diana the Hunter is a darker song with its reference to vigilante justice.
What pulls all these stories together, aside from the female point of view, is Jacobs’ bluesy vocals styling. It goes from gritty to majestic to Memphis with ease. You can add to that Adam Hall’s ability to take his dobro from the woods of Vermont to the cotton fields of Mississippi. What results, Two Truths And A Lie, is bluesy without being blues and country without being twangy. It’s definitely worth checking out.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.