Rod Picott

From the formative origins of a small mill town in Maine and now long-time resident of Nashville, Rod Picott has generated a loyal cult audience across the U.S. and Europe. He is a wordsmith that needs to be heard.

His tours continue to receive rave reviews for his songwriting skills, his darkly humorous and compelling live performances..

Rod Picott has carved himself a career, a stellar series of albums and consistent touring finally allowing him to give up his day job as a sheetrock hanger. Tagged as a “blue-collar” storyteller he has recently branched out into the world of literature publishing his poetry and a book of short stories but he was almost derailed last year following a major health scare. He survived, thankfully, but that brush with mortality gave him pause for thought leading to this, his most stripped back and personal album so far.

The album opens and closes with a short rumble of thunder, a portent of doom perhaps, but otherwise, it’s unadorned, just Picott, at home with a guitar and a harmonica laying down his truth. ‘Tell The Truth & Shame The Devil’ is not solely about his illness but, as he says in his liner notes, “Confronting mortality, I asked myself a few questions. Who am I? Who have I been?

Some of the songs try to answer these questions, others delve into his past and a few are simply just excellent examples of his songwriting as Picott bares his soul on what is a magnificent record.