Born Liar is Gregg Hill’s fifth release and his first since relocating to the Crescent City four years ago. Though the singer-songwriter had recorded demos at various studios around the city, early on it became apparent that his style of Americana was better suited for Nashville. Through a family connection, Hill landed multi-Grammy Award-winning producer Neal Cappellino (Dolly Parton, John Prine, Alison Krauss) to helm the project. 

Throughout this all-original affair, it’s apparent that this was a well-thought-out, superbly engineered effort. Hill traveled to Nashville twice to meet with Cappellino before the first knob was ever twisted. By the time he crossed the finish line, he had devoted a year to this recording with more trips to the Music City. Cappellino surrounded Hill with such luminaries as blazing guitarist Kenny Vaughan (Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives) and banjoist Ron Block (Alison Krauss and Union Station) on various tracks. 

To include somewhat of a New Orleans angle, Hill enlisted guitarist Shane Theriot for three other tracks. For “Clinging to the Wind,” Hill sensed that Anders Osborne would relate to the lyrics and asked him to sing on it. Hill sang the first verse, and Osborne sang the rest, blending in seamlessly with Hill’s amazingly clear tenor. From the delicate fingerpicking of “Anyway,” to the up-tempo surrealistic “Sky of Gold,” to the barn-burning “When You Die, You’re Dead,” it’s all over the map stylistically.

While the arrangements are loaded with highlights, even a flutist on the title track, Hill’s lyrics can be intriguing and deeply layered. On the front porch hootenanny “Rise & Shine,” the message seems straightforward enough: despite our differences, we still can get along. “Sky of Gold” and “Ring Around the Sun” are more cryptic and mysterious. He’s a cynic on the title track, closing with the startling line “And woe will come to any man who walks an honest way,” meaning honesty is pointless. “When You Die You’re Dead” feels like a conversation between a narrow-minded, twisted redneck and his oppressed son, who wants to be liberated to play music. An impressive outing, Hill’s next installment of tunes leaves a lot to look forward to.