Music Review: Shannon Clark & the Sugar, ‘This Old World’
The Ohio-based family band’s second studio album in three years is a masterpiece.
Shannon Clark & the Sugar’s This Old World album artwork
Shannon Clark & the Sugar's new album This Old World is one of the best albums I’ve heard from 2023 and, in my view, their best yet. It’s filled with powerful melodies, sweet harmonies, and a richness of lyrical content that will satisfy even the deepest of Americana fans.
The Ohio-based group consists of Shannon, his wife Brittany, their teenage daughter Navie, and his cousin, Joey Howard. I was able to chat with Shannon recently, and the life stories of this family act are as endearing as the music itself. Shannon and Brittany met at church as youngsters, fell in love, made music, and made babies (four to be exact). One of those babies (Navie) grew into a key piece of the band’s sound, including those gorgeous harmonies.
One of their daughters, Olive, sadly passed at an early age. Shannon and Brittany stopped playing music for a while after her passing, but the couple found music again when Navie grew older and expressed interest. There were several years that Shannon didn't feel like writing, he says, but adds, “That was the wrong way to go. I needed to write to deal with things.” So Navie joined, Shannon and Brittany wrote, and we are reaping the rewards of the beautiful art this family was born to create. One of those rewards is This Old World.
The album begins with the title track filled with heartfelt imagery of everyday people making their way through life and undeserved circumstances. The chorus wraps us up like a warm blanket, reassuring that “This old world will get you down, but don't let this world get you down.” So simple, so comforting. A great song in every way.
“Burn Down” is a song of marital moments that we should hope we are only familiar with from a distance, but all too common nonetheless. Shannon explains that it has a much deeper origin than the version we’re hearing, which was polished and molded into a relationship song. The song was originally driven by things that Shannon had gone through in coping with the loss of their daughter. He said this is a favorite song for a lot of fans.
Shannon Clark & the Sugar. Photo courtesy of the artist.
My favorite track on the album is “The Way I Am.” The lyrics hold back just enough detail to let the listener’s imagination fill in the gaps. The feeling I get when Shannon sings “It’s cold out there on those darkened stairs / Where you no longer know my name” and “I was born to be a carpenter / But I never ever had the hands” — that's the feeling that keeps me searching for great music.
“Change Everything” is a superbly written story of the perils of the digital age that make it too easy to know way too much about past loves’ daily lives. It’s a nostalgic song of longing and my biggest earworm from This Old World. Specifically, the line “Is this as good as I’m ever gonna be” from the chorus was reverberating in my skull for over a week. Some might call it melancholy, but it’s kind of inspiring for me.
“Never Grow Old” is a fabulous love song. Shannon said it originated from when he and his wife had first fallen in love and promised one another in a late-night embrace that they “would never grow old.” The song contains one of the best lines I’ve ever heard: “My pillow talk is concrete.” Gorgeous and succinct.
Throughout my chat with Shannon, it was clear that he’s living his passion: making music with his family. This is such an amazing group and family. To my ear, it’s clear this band is about to explode.
When they’re not making music, the family also works together in their food truck business. If you’re ever in the Greenville, Ohio area, check out their Nacho Pig truck, grab a meal, and tell them Adventures in Americana sent you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jacson Miller. Photo courtesy of the author.
Jacson Miller is a huge fan of great Americana music and the songwriters who create it. He is a passionate supporter of equity in education and youth development as a Board Member of the nonprofit ‘Search Institute’. A long-time resident of Minneapolis, he grew up in southern Indiana, has a Business degree from Purdue University, an MBA from Duke University, and loves being a dad, playing guitar, and songwriting.
