Charles Esten is a versatile American actor, singer, and songwriter. Best recognised for his impactful roles as Deacon Claybourne on CMT’s ‘Nashville’ and Ward Cameron on Netflix’s ‘Outer Banks,’ Esten’s career spans various dimensions although new album, ‘Love Ain’t Pretty’ is, amazingly, his debut solo full length musical release despite the fact that he holds the Guinness world record for “Most consecutive weeks to release an original digital single by a music act” after delivering 54 original songs once a week for 54 straight weeks back in 2018.
You can read our review of ‘Love Ain’t Pretty’ at this link here and our recent interview with Charles Esten about it right here. We caught up with him in Birmingham, UK on the Love Ain’t Pretty tour as he came to town touring the album with his future son in law, Charlie Greene, from the band Betcha in tow as support.
What was apparent, over the course of Esten’s 90 minute set in Birmingham, was just what a diverse and varied career this talented creative has had. Taking the stage with just a piano / keyboard player for support, Esten started the set with the title track of his current album, guitar in hand, harmonica around his neck, Bob Dylan style and a drum pedal at his feet. He created a rich and layered sound on some songs and then stripped others back to just him and a guitar or piano on others.
Throughout, Esten’s warmth and authenticity shone through, as he spoke to the crowd about his love for his wife, Patty, his time as Deacon Claybourne on Nashville, his two years in London in the late 80s as the star of the Buddy Holly musical and his belief that hard times and tribulations don’t last. ‘One Good Move’ was stripped back, initially, to just Esten and a piano till he picked up an electric guitar in the second verse and it’s anthemic nature began to shine through. Similarly, songs like ‘When Love Ain’t Love,’ ‘A Road and a Radio’ and ‘Down the Road’ all retained the more meaty, driven elements of their sound that made them so enjoyable to listen to in their recorded forms, which is no mean feat with just two people on stage, or in the case of the latter, three, as Esten was also joined by support artist and future son in law, Charlie Greene from Betcha on stage, adding in a second guitar and some vocals too.
Speaking of Charlie, he was also involved in one of the stand out moments of the evening when Esten invited him back on stage the first time for an amazing rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound of Silence.’ Future Christmases are going to be fun in the Esten household as these two guys harmonised superbly on this evocative and impactful song, finishing the performance away from the microphone and letting the natural acoustics of Birmingham Town Hall carry their vocals around the room.
Another highlight was the tour debut of ‘Halfway Home,’ one of the ’54 singles in 54 weeks’ that earned Esten an entry in the Guinness Book of Records back in 2017. With just his own vocals and a piano, Esten delivered this song in fine fashion, replete with Gospel overtones and some impassioned and impactful vocals.
Elsewhere, set highlights included the slick and melodic ‘Candlelight,’ co-written with Eric Paslay and Big Kenny from Big ‘n’ Rich, the very first duet Deacon Claybourne and Reyna James ever sang together on the Nashville TV show (‘No One Will Ever Love You’) and a delightful cover of Buddy Holly’s ‘True Love Waits’ in honour of the director of the musical (that saw Esten come over to live in London for two years in late 80’s) being in the audience at this show.
A rousing ‘double-whammy’ end to the set with ‘Down the Road’ and a cover of Oasis’ ‘Champagne Supernova’ preceded the one song encore finish of what Esten described as ‘the best song from the Nashville TV show,’ in ‘A Life That’s Good.’ The Birmingham choir took over during this final song, orchestrated expertly by Esten up on stage, and the show finished with a joyous, communal feeling of positivity that left Charles Esten beating the heart in his chest and the crowd cheering and clapping with emotional gusto.
Charles Esten is a charismatic and warm performer who brings his songs to life with impactful and authentic stories. Grounded in reality and yet able to talk about his musical and TV performances, Esten delivered a strong and cohesive set that made people laugh, sing and with ‘Somewhere in the Sunshine,’ cry too, as thoughts turned to the people in our lives that are no longer with us. Through it all, Esten acted as ringmaster and host with grace, warmth and style as he took the Birmingham crowd on a 35 year journey through his career. He even made reference to ‘his good friend’ Darius Rucker, who was playing at a venue nearby at the same time, thanking the crowd for choosing to be with him. There’s no BS with Charles Esten, no showbiz shenanigans or West Coast waffle – what you see is what you get with him and what Birmingham got last night was an honest, authentic and engaging night of stories and songs.
Set list: 1. Love Ain’t Pretty 2. One Good Move 3. Make You Happy 4. Back in my Life Again 5. When Love Ain’t Love 6. I Ain’t 7. Candlelight 8. Halfway Home 9. No One Will Ever Love You 10. Sound of Silence 11. True Love Waits 12. Somewhere in the Sunshine 13. I Still Do 14. A Road and a Radio 15. Down the Road 16. Champagne Supernova 17. A Life That’s Good Venue: Birmingham Town Hall Date: April 30th 2024
