Guy Paul Thibault has been playing music for many years, so it’s only natural that his work bears the weight of experience. His latest album, The Road Between, is brimming with genuine anecdotes moments that are just real in all senses of the word. All of the emotions and heartbreak and joy feels completely relatable.
Thibault flips effortlessly between tones on this album. He leads with a couple more upbeat tracks, even if the lyrical content is a bit on the dark side. “Dangerous Strangers” navigates the dangerous beginnings of an affair between two people, despite its dancey pace.
“Talk to Me” has a darker feel. Thibault reaches into the lowest recesses of his voice to convey the pleading urgency of the lyrics. The harmonies in the chorus create this dynamic that sounds like a real couple laying their problems on the line with each other. The harmonies come back in “No One Understands”. These two songs have the same desperation in them, but they’re like opposite sides of the same coin. “Talk to Me” is trying to mend a damaged relationship, while the latter is trying to express to someone how important their understanding is.
While many tracks on the album straddle the line between rock and country pretty evenly, “Don’t You See Me Cry” forays more into solid rock territory, with warbled guitar solos sprinkled throughout. It’s harsh and hopeless, but also sounds badass enough to soften the blow, in a sense.
It isn’t all angst and serious business, however. “Day Drinking” is pure fun, complete with a playful disclaimer at the beginning of the song: “The following is a true story. Only the names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.” It’s the only moment like it on the album, and it would be interesting to see Thibault play with it more in the future. For now, it stands as a cheeky wink towards the finish line of a solid album.