Two Trees Tells Remarkable Tales
Two Trees
Brent Malin and The Railroaders
Independent Release, 2013
Pittsburgh, P-a’s Brent Malin has an eye for detail and storytelling which is guilefuly observant and subtly perceptive. Malin’s a 
country singer-songwriter in the traditional sense, (translation: a good storyteller), whose never completely knocked the mud off his boots despite his current urban environment.
It is with this keen observation that he is able to make Pittsburgh and it’s residents seems like larger than life small town characters. On “Mona Lisa Smile,” Malin sings, “A friend of mine found Jesus/Outside a pizza place, . . . .He might not be a Christian/But you got to like his style.”
“I Don’t Miss You When You’re Gone,” aside from being one of the more memorable song titles in a while, is sweetly comical and worthy of regular rotation on radio. A proper budget and slick video would guarantee this, but YOU need to tell your friends and pass this gem around so it gets heard.
“Circus Ride” steps up the speed, and getting back to small town life, details the need to get out of a town that feels confining. “What good is freedom/If you never make a choice?”
Throughout the disc Malin’s backing band is on target and in the pocket. Peter Freeman, Dobro, Mikaya Matsuda, pedal steel, and Luke Zacherl, fiddle, each in turn add the right amount of color to the songs without overwhelming them.
The title track “Two Trees,” relates the story of a steadfast, and unwavering relationship of sixty years and the life a couple built. There’s a tenderness in Malin’s voice as he relates the strength it takes to endure and thrive through everything six decades can throw at you.
Brent Malin is a songwriter worth listening to, and for an industry so at odds with itself as the current state of Nashville, substantive, smart and deserving of your attention.
