Last of the Country Gentlemen
by Josh T. Pearson
  • Record Label: Mute
  • Release Date: Mar 29, 2011
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
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  1. Uncut
    Mar 29, 2011
    100
    Josh Pearson has gone there so we don't have to--we should be grateful he's returned to tell the tale. [Apr 2011, p.72]
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  2. Drowned In Sound
    Mar 23, 2011
    100
    In shedding his layers of pain, Pearson reveals his heart: broken and bloodied, but still beating, still fighting. We share and revere in his redemption, rarely has something so physically fragile sounded so mighty in its emotional resonance. A truly magnificent record.
  3. No Ripcord
    Mar 23, 2011
    90
    Once you press play on this wonderful record, Josh T. Pearson will take you with him. It might be painful, but you will savour every tear and be thankful for the bruises. Be greatful for this dark pariah.
  5. BBC Music
    Dec 1, 2011
    80
    It's a raw and white-knuckled collection, one which captures the phenomenal emotions of the man's solo live sets.
  6. Rolling Stone
    Jun 21, 2011
    80
    This solo debut is as commanding: emotional trial ("Woman, When I've Raised Hell") and despair ("Country Dumb") stripped to Pearson's fraught vocals and hypnotic, irregular fingerpicking.
  7. Prefix Magazine
    Apr 12, 2011
    80
    While no single song on the album comes close to the weight and volume that Lift to Experience was capable of slinging, Last of the Country Gentlemen delivers its own subtle intensity.
  8. Q Magazine
    Apr 6, 2011
    80
    He and his demons haven't come in from the cold just yet, but thankfully, Pearson's muse has caught fire once more. [Apr 2011, p.105]
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  9. Mojo
    Apr 6, 2011
    80
    This long-rumoured debut is a thing of stark intimacy, rendered by just Pearson's rustic voice and roughly picked guitar, with an occasional smear of wintry violin or doleful piano. [Apr 2011, p.100]
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  10. AllMusic
    Mar 30, 2011
    80
    Last of the Country Gentlemen is a demanding listen; its wandering pace, startling, emotionally jarring terrain of uncalculated honesty, and obsession can be uncomfortable. That said, it is a recording of surprising originality and great beauty.
  11. Clash Music
    Mar 23, 2011
    80
    Pearson's mournful growl, and the brutal honesty in raking over his personal failings, makes for a majestic, in-the-dead-of-the-night confessional.
  12. musicOMH.com
    Mar 23, 2011
    80
    Stark yet still overtly dramatic, it's an astonishing showcase of confessional songwriting.
  13. Filter
    Mar 29, 2011
    76
    Gorgeous as much as it is terrifyingly heartbreaking, it's Country Gentlemen's ominous open-ended silence that unnerves most of all.
  14. Austin Chronicle
    Mar 23, 2011
    67
    These are stone-cold peyote visions of biblical proportions, offbeat and occasionally stunning.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 2 out of 8
  1. pike360
    Apr 6, 2012
    10
    "Last of the Country Gentlemen" belongs aside the "Trinity Sessions" as dark brooding masterpiece. By pealing back the emotional layers of"Last of the Country Gentlemen" belongs aside the "Trinity Sessions" as dark brooding masterpiece. By pealing back the emotional layers of pain, Josh T Pearson evokes from a place deep within his soul to create deeply moving benedictions for the heartbroken. The results are nothing short of profound.… Full Review »
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