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Review: Paul Thorn cracks wise and steals hearts at the Kessler

By Darryl Smyers, Special Contributor

Performing before a standing room only crown Saturday night at the Kessler Theater, singer-songwriter Paul Thorn was the epitome of down-home charm and witticisms. The Tupelo, Mississippi, native played ragged but right Southern rock 'n' roll during a disarmingly fast 90-minute set that had most in attendance begging for more.

Beginning with "There's Something Out There" (from 2002's Mission Temple Fireworks Stand), Thorn and his crack five-piece backing band channeled the best of Little Feat and the J. Geils Band in a splendid display of blues, Americana and greasy truck stop rock. There is nothing complicated about Thorn's songs. They are unabashedly simple statements of purpose performed with wit and wisdom to spare.

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When Thorn sings a song like "I Don't Like Half the Folks I Love," he connects with his audience in a way that is both genuine and unconventional. Thorn's music is deceptively unassuming. He may come across as a good ol' boy, but Thorn has plenty to say and a plaintively philosophical way of saying it. "Double Wide Paradise" and "Old Stray Dogs & Jesus" could, in other hands, easily come across as trite and pandering. Yet Thorn makes these rural sentiments ring true for both cowboys and cosmopolitans.

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Thorn's between-song banter establishes him as a grade-A comedian who just happens to write damn good songs. "I lived in this trailer house with shag carpet that smelled like cat pee," Thorn deadpanned before beginning the achingly beautiful "Love Scar," and the crowd hooted and hollered as if everyone had experienced the exact same thing. Thorn's tales of finding love in trailer parks and girlfriends leaving once their income tax refund checks arrived rang as true as a Saturday morning hangover.

Like Hayes Carll,  Thorn knows how to write a catchy country-rock song that turns cliché into thoughtful commentary. Whether it was the weary narrative of "Way Beyond Midnight" or the joyous optimism of "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" (from last year's terrific Too Blessed to Be Stressed), Thorn never failed to connect to both his audience and to a greater sense of purpose on Saturday.

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Thorn's self-depreciating, plain-spoken take on what it means to be just an average Joe is refreshing. While many country artists write songs that make being from the South sound like some bizarre caricature that exploits and demeans all involved, Thorn understands how the rural experience creates a unique worldview no less intelligent than life in any other region.

As the crowd exited the Kessler late Saturday evening, all seemed right in the world, considering a talented guy like Thorn could make us enjoy the absurd beauty of life itself.

Darryl Smyers is a Dallas freelance writer.