Published on July 1st, 2012 | by greg
0Daughn Gibson: All Hell:: Review
Daughn Gibson could be considered a new wave country gentleman for his story songs and synths that dominate his debut All Hell. Gibson is the former drummer of Pennsylvania’s Pearls and Brass who opted to go it alone armed with only his husky baritone and his dark tales of human nature. Gibson’s songs on All Hell are set either during a rainy night on the road or in some abandoned hotel room where his protagonists never find the redemption they so desperately seek. Gibson’s vocals, which recall a myriad of artists including: Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Ian Curtis, bring a gravitas to the proceedings as they carry the weight of the enveloping dread that nearly consumes All Hell.
All Hell opens with the abbreviated, spacey honky-tonk of “Bad Guys,” featuring an Elvis Presley-like croon delivered by Gibson who opts for change on the more electronic-based “In the Beginning.” “In the Beginning” burrows into your skull and seems somewhat immature compared to what comes next. Gibson’s electronic cowboy hits his stride on the stuttering “Tiffany Lou” and the strikingly stark spoken word intro of the Fender Rhodes dominated “A Young Girl’s World.” The sample heavy “Rain on a Highway” hijacks what easily could be a Conway Twitty song into a surreal, futuristic nightmare. Gibson stumbles on “Dandelions” but achieves his goal on the fire and brimstone influenced title track where sinister urges prove to be the successor.
All Hell is an album that you’ll want to absorb after listening as Gibson’s characters tend to linger long in your imagination after the record’s brief 32 minutes.
Rating: 
