Only Sons turn corner with third album

Listening to Kent Goolsby sing, it might be hard to conceive how vocal cords that have barely seen 25 years could produce such a world-weary rasp.

Goolsby's vocals split the difference among Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Steve Earle the way he and the rest of Murfreesboro, Tenn.'s The Only Sons split the difference between the fire and twang of rock and country.

That kind of distinctive voice was a long time coming, Goolsby said.

"When I was really young, I would write and record demos all the time, (and) I still, to this day, remember my frustration ... of not having a voice," he said. "I was completely immersed in what I was doing and loving the songwriting process, but then I would hit that playback button and think, 'I still don't have it.'

"It just came with time."

The core of the band can speak of those growing pains. The Only Sons — Goolsby, drummer Blake Loftis and bassist Jonathan Merritt — have known each other since middle school.

After forming the band as students at Middle Tennessee State University in 2005, the members of The Only Sons took to the road with a vengeance, touring up and down the East Coast and on to Chicago.

It wasn't until two years ago that they decided the group would outlast graduation, though.

The musicians realized it was time to commit themselves fully when they entered the studio to work on their third album, "American Stranger." To be released Tuesday, the CD will provide the meat for their set list at JJ's Bohemia tonight, Goolsby said.

Thanks to a significantly longer germination period in the studio and the addition of supplemental instrumentation from some of Murfreesboro's top session players, "American Stranger" is both a more rocking record and a turning point for the band, Goolsby said.

"We saw this record as the first example we can look back on as, 'OK, that's when we really put our foot to the floor and got this thing going,' " he said. "This record is a jumping-off point for us as a band."