Fathers, Sons and Brothers

"Honestly, I feel like Ive lived a charmed life," David Lowery says in the liner notes to 2025s Fathers, Sons and Brothers, a statement that sometimes feels at odds with his music. Lowery, who first found modest success with Camper Van Beethoven, became a genuine multi-platinum rock star with Cracker, and has since distinguished himself as a producer, musicians rights activist, and academic. He chose to respond to the requests of friends and colleagues to write an autobiography by instead recording three albums -- 2020s In the Shadow of the Bull, 2021s Leaving Key Member Clause, and 2023s Vending Machine -- that told stories from his life and career in their songs. Fathers, Sons and Brothers collects the material from those three albums along with a bit of unreleased material, and taken together, they follow his history from childhood to the present day, not necessarily covering every stop along the way, but more than enough to give an effective portrait of his personal narrative arc. Given how witty Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker could be, whats most surprising is there arent a lot of laughs on Fathers, Sons and Brothers; Lowery has a lot to say about family drama, the pains of growing up, the downsides of the music business, getting sober, struggling with faulty relationships, and the tug of war between becoming a responsible adult and the lure of the musicians life, and most of the time hes earnest, though not dour. Most of these songs were written and recorded at home, with just Lowery and his guitar, while a variety of musicians added instrumental sweetening after the fact, with folk, country, and norteno flavors dominating the arrangements. The overall effect of this music is spare and matter-of-fact; a makeshift dinner of tortillas and refried beans looms as large as CVB first landing big gigs in San Francisco in "Mom Im Living the Life." Lowery isnt always kind to others in his tales, and he pulls no punches on himself, often finding himself wanting as a son, father, bandleader, and friend. Fathers, Sons and Brothers isnt always fun, but Lowery is a compelling storyteller, and the confessional tone of most of these tracks coheres into a larger yarn thats honestly moving as he finds some sort of peace in his sixties. If youre not already a fan of Lowerys body of work, you might find Fathers, Sons and Brothers a bit hard to follow, but there arent a lot of songwriters whove bared their souls with as much detail and honesty as he does on this album, and its a unique, remarkable listening experience. ~ Mark Deming