Austin, TX-based The Tender Things follow-up their excellent 2017 self-titled debut with How You Make A Fool – a country album that blends elements of cosmic country with a West Coast Bakersville mindset, the roots of Appalachia music, Texas honky-tonk and country rock into a very satisfying listen. The Tender Things is the vision of frontman and singer/songwriter Jesse Ebaugh, who is also known as the bassist for the Heartless Bastards for the better part of a decade. The past few years found Ebaugh refining his signature sound via The Tender Things, and that effort really comes together beautifully on How You Make a Fool. The band is comprised of frontman Jesse Ebaugh, pedal steel from Ricky Jackson (Phosphorescent, Steve Earle), bass from Z Lynch (Nikki Lane), guitarist Gary Newcomb (Bill Callahan, Richard Buckner, Bruce Robison), and on drums, Matt Strmiska (Black Joe Louis and the Honeybears). How to Make a Fool also features notable cameos from Patty Griffin on “The Secrets We Could Tell” alongside the piano work of Robert Ellis, who performs on three of the album tracks. Album standouts include: the country rocker and album opener “Sister Elizabeth”; the contemplative track on what could have been “Back to Boulder”; the country rocker about hard living “Fix Me”; the Little Feat-tinged “The New Mission Bell”; the track about failed friendships “When I Get to Berlin”; the open-hearted confessional “I Don’t Know How to Love You”; the socio-political title-track; and the country-soul vibed “Texas City.” The Tender Things’ How You Make a Fool is an adventurous album that is unburdened by the confines of traditional country; it is a great listen and one of my favorite albums of the year! – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Caleb Caudle, Garrett T. Capps, Heartless Bastards, Dalton Mills, Western Centuries