Sully Erna - Hometown Life (2016) [Hi-Res]

For almost 20 years Sully Erna has been the enigmatic, bullish, demon of a frontman presence for powerhouse rock behemoth Godsmack. By night, he moonlights as a singer / songwriter with a vulnerability seldom heard by a metal frontman. Metal purists may scoff at the lead singer taking a slight detour, but Erna has earned the right to do so, and has used his time wisely. Hometown Life has Erna sitting in the elder’s chair utilizing his lyrics, coupled with the music, as teaching tools, leaving little trails for others to gravitate towards.

Title track, and album opener “Hometown Life” brings a beautiful, melodic, and heavy piano that follows the song til the end. “Your Own Drum” offers a latin flavor and a memorable message of individuality. “Take All of Me” is a piano driven banger with touching orchestration and pop-hook sensibility. “Turn It Up” is a bluesy, instantly grabbing, semi-showtune that instills a dance groove. “Forever My Infinity” is a heartbreaking duet, “Falling to Black” follows suit, but with a melancholy turn… and so on.

Hometown Life is Erna’s second solo record after 2010’s Avalon. And while Avalon was a good effort, Hometown Life is that much better. The record is cohesive, heartfelt, and offers listeners a chance to hear another side of Erna outside of the clang of distorted, electric, instruments.

„Like light shining through the clouds after a storm, Sully Erna's solo sophomore outing Hometown Life is bright, comforting, and uplifting. While his 2010 solo debut Avalon was just a few steps away from Godsmack's more subdued material, Hometown Life is a full embrace of everything else Erna enjoys, including blues, country, and R&B. Hometown Life crackles with spirit, a somewhat jarring shift for anyone in search of a dose of the typical Godsmack spookiness. Erna sets aside that darkness and angst in favor of an intimate, personal experience. For Godsmack fans who have grown along with him, this will be a welcome and relaxing break after decades of head-cracking post-grunge ragers. Here, Erna allows himself to be vulnerable, which lends emotional heft to tracks like the soaring "Blue Skies" and mournful "Falling to Black." He contemplates mortality on the gypsy jam "Father of Time" and pays homage to his Lawrence, Massachusetts roots on the title track. A familiar (and familial) team has once again joined Erna in the studio: in addition to backing band Chris Lester, Tim Theriault, and Chris Decato, other players who helped with Avalon have also returned, including Irina Chirkova, who infuses the album with her cello swells, and Lisa Guyer, who provides backing vocals and contributes another highlight duet on "Forever My Infinity." New faces include drummer David Stefanelli and songwriter Zac Malloy (Daughtry, Skillet, Tim McGraw) who injects a little Nashville warmth to "Your Own Drum" and "Different Kind of Tears." One guest warrants special mention: Erna's father, Salvatore Sr., whose trumpet lends a cool bluesy vibe to the toe-tapping jam "Turn It Up!" All of these studio guests make Hometown Life feel like an extended jam session among loved ones. For a fiery frontman responsible for some of the heaviest songs in modern rock, it's a pleasing and nourishing departure, a journey of self-reflection and maturation.“ (Neil Z. Yeung, AMG)

Sully Erna, lead vocals, piano, acoustic guitar
Tim Theriault, guitar, backing vocals
Chris Decato, keyboards, backing vocals
Chris Lester, bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
David Stefanelli, drums
Irina Chirkova, cello
Lisa Guyer, vocals

Tracklist:
01. Sully Erna - Hometown Life (4:42)
02. Sully Erna - Your Own Drum (3:03)
03. Sully Erna - Different Kind of Tears (4:38)
04. Sully Erna - Take All of Me (4:06)
05. Sully Erna - Don't Comfort Me (4:11)
06. Sully Erna - Turn It Up! (4:56)
07. Sully Erna - Blue Skies (4:47)
08. Sully Erna - Forever My Infinity (4:20)
09. Sully Erna - Father of Time (4:30)
10. Sully Erna - Falling to Black (3:45)