Brothers Osborne’s ‘Pawn Shop’ review: A hot ticket for the siblings

"Pawn Shop" is the debut album by the Brothers Osborne. Credit: EMI Nashville
BROTHERS OSBORNE
“Pawn Shop”
THE GRADE A-
BOTTOM LINE The country-loving brothers are ready to put bro country out to pasture.
It may not sound like a revolution, but the Brothers Osborne’s debut album, “Pawn Shop” (EMI Nashville), seems ready to upend the reign of “bro country.”
Forget the awkwardly added hip-hop beats and choruses that make beer commercials feel deep.
The sound of T.J. Osborne’s warm drawl and John Osborne’s virtuoso guitar playing in “Stay a Little Longer” cut through all of that clutter like a hot knife through butter, even before John’s masterful guitar solo kicks in, chiming like The Edge circa “The Unforgettable Fire.”
It’s no wonder the brothers landed a Grammy nomination for it even before their debut was released. But they don’t stop there.
T.J. channels early Randy Travis in the reverb-drenched ballad “Loving Me Back,” which gets even more impressive when Lee Ann Womack delivers her harmonies. The soon-to-be anthem “American Crazy” — with its chorus of “We’re left, we’re right, we’re black and we’re white” — may be the most unifying song built for the country mainstream in years. Pair that with the hard-rocking blame-passing “It Ain’t My Fault” and soon the Brothers Osborne will have people wondering “Florida Georgia what?” again.
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