12.19.07 The Irish World Barstool Philosopher - Stephen Simmons ponders life and love with honesty on ‘Somewhere In Between' Singer-songwriter Stephen Simmons (who pedals a mix of country, folk and Americana) was raised in a small town in Tennessee, his family the first generation that didn’t work on the farm. Now a singer-songwriter based in Nashville (where else) Stephen’s creative vision doesn’t stop at reflections of rural America. The tracks on his new album, Something In Between, tussle with existential realities familiar to all of us, whether we live in quiet countryside or noisy city: redemption, heartbreak, hangovers and the loneliness of the road. Like his previous albums, where his sound has been compared to both Johnny Cash and Ryan Adams, ‘Something In Between’ combines a gift for musicianship with unashamed artistic honesty. ‘Don’t Mind Me,’ for instance, takes a jaded glance towards the dangers of drunken conversation and the desperation of a bar-room troubadour. “And don’t mind me,” he sings, “Just keep it moving along/ The last thing in this world that I need/ Is a bar full of yapping jaws/ And don’t mind me/ Man I’ll pay when I’m done/ Already owed everybody/ Before I ever begun.” Simmons is intense – but he’s extremely likeable with it. Revealing influences and songwriting prowess akin to a Steve Earle or a Jackson Browne, ‘Something In Between’ gets down to the nitty gritty of human relationships.  The title track looks at the shifting emotions everyone feels at different stages of a relationship. In ‘We’ll See’, there’s a dark cloud hanging over a new connection. Then, in what could be Stephen’s most confessional work to date, there’s the world-weary lover and his collection of new scars in the rocky ‘New Scratches.’ – Shelley Marsden