IN REVIEW: Brian Fallon - "Local Honey"

Though most still remember Brian Fallon as the howling force who broke out with Jersey Springsteen punks The Gaslight Anthem just over a decade ago, there's a strong case for his solo career thus far threatening to eclipse the work he did with the band that made him famous. While his first solo record (2016's Painkillers could be fairly leveled some "Gas-lite" criticism, the maturity and overall tone of the record established just how effective Fallon's writing could be; it was followed two years later by Sleepwalkers, which was livelier and more evocative of soul than punk, proving that Fallon wasn't scared to explore new avenues of sound while retaining the heart of his talents.

Enter third solo release Local Honey, which takes its cue not from his previous work per sé, but rather from the tenderest, most heartfelt and melancholy moments on those previous records. This isn't exactly uncharted territory, as each of his previous records (solo and band alike) have featured at least one show-stopping ballad that served as a reminder of Fallon's heart string tugging abilities; that Local Honey is an album full of them might not make for all that ringing an endorsement, especially for fans who greatly miss The Gaslight Anthem, but rest assured he pulls it off beautifully.

I attribute this album's success primarily to its conciseness; rather than drop a 45 minute plus slog, Local Honey offers eight tracks over 32 minutes, making for an album that is easy to digest despite the heaviness of its subject matter and the somber tones throughout. It's also easier to accept an album full of slow burn ballads when they're of the quality found here; as thrilling as his past rockers may be, it's these heartfelt and earnest numbers that have arguably been his most enduring compositions.

Thematically, Local Honey does offer a wide variety of emotions. Opening track When You're Ready is a reflective ode for his children which finds Fallon imparting important parental advice. 21 Days, meanwhile, ruminates on a broken relationship with emotional bite. That's followed by Vincent, which finds Fallon in full murder ballad mode with stunning results, as he tells the doomed story of a woman who's forced to leave the man of her dreams. Then, we have the haunted but hopeful I Don't Mind (If I'm With You), where Fallon credits the light of his life while acknowledging the darkness that still follows him; it's at once the album's most heartbreaking and assuring moment.

That sums up the A-side, but Fallon doesn't simply churn out more of the same on the flip side; Lonely For You Only is the album's most upbeat song, and offers a brief midway respite from the slower tempos while setting the stage for the remainder. Horses features a pretty melody and a little extra noise in the production that gives it the slightest hint of oddity. Hard Feelings comes next, quietly reflective and deceptively lush in its performance; Fallon is firmly in his wheelhouse on this one, and you can practically feel the assured swagger in his delivery atop this mid-tempo number that reminds me strangely of latter day Dire Straits. The album closes with lead single You Have Stolen My Heart, probably the slowest burn to be heard on Local Honey. An earnest, percussive dirge with a glowing heart, this is a love letter of the highest quality, the kind which Fallon has proven time and time again is among his greatest strengths as a songwriter.

With tight production, impassioned performances all around and the ability to pack such a range of emotions into such a small package without ever feeling like a chore to listen to, Brian Fallon just may have made his best album with Local Honey. Considering my affinity for his previous work, I was a bit apprehensive with the concept of an album of quiet introspection, but this is undeniably among the finest batch of songs he's ever gifted us. A personal and professional triumph.

March 27, 2020 • Lesser Known/Thirty Tigers
Highlights 21 Days • Vincent • I Don't Mind (If I'm With You)