Charles Esten - Love Ain't Pretty
Flyctory.com Pros
- Wide range of songs
- Very nice vocal performance
When I recently reviewed This Girl by Hannah Ellis, I just could not believe that this record is in fact her debut long-play. It is feeling even more weird to me with Love Ain’t Pretty, which I review in this posting. I know Charles Esten’s music for so long, I saw him live during the 2020 C2C in Berlin and loved his wide range of songs. Did this guy really never release an album before? At least, this has changed on 26th January 2024 finally – here is my review.

Charles Esten – About The Artist
Charles Esten Puskar III is the full civil name of Charles Esten. He was born on 9th September 1965 in Pittsburgh, but later grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, right South of Washington D.C.. Esten is not only a musician, but in fact started his career as a comedian and improvisation actor. As such, he sometimes also acted as Chip Esten – his very first TV appearance was even under the name Chip Puskar. This part of his entertainment career later also lead to TV and movie appearances. For example, you can see Esten as a guest star in Married… with children or Star Trek: The Next Generation.His most important role from a nowadays perspective is likely Deacon Claybourne in the Nashville TV series, though.
Since 2012, Esten is also releasing music. The first releases, though have been all somehow linked to the Nashville appearances. The first independent collaboration has been the 2020 duet with Jillian Cardarelli, Strong. Despite his release catalog is not overwhelmingly large, he is a rather frequent musician on stage of the Grand Ole Opry. In 2018, he already had his 100th performance there.
Charles Esten – Love Ain’t Pretty – Track by Track
The 14 track album lasts 50 minutes.

1. Love Ain’t Pretty
The title track takes the burden (or: the honor) to open for Charles Esten’s album. The first song is rather slow, very emotional. The chorus feels a bit too repetitive to me. The highlights of the opener to me are the lovely guitar solo in the bridge and the outstanding vocal performance by Esten, which feels very relatable.
2. A Little Right Now
A Little Right Now has been the second album release of this album. Released in late April 2024, the song initially feels like a country ballad and is even a bit soupy, However, Esten defined a nice plot for this listen, which leads to a very leveraged and harmonic experience between gentle and energetic emotions.
3. One Good Move
Talking about the timeline of Love Ain’t Pretty, One Good Move was the first step towards the album in regards of releases. Similar to the two songs before, Charles Esten takes you on a walk through different moods and atmospheres in this March 2023 release. I especially love the chorus of this song.
If there was trouble to get into, I was getting into it
If there was something that I shouldn’t do, you know I would do it
I was young, I was dumb, I was always on the run
Messed it up all the ones
‘Cause when I look at you
I see my one good move
Yeah, you’re my one good move
4. In A Bar Somewhere
In A Bar Somewhere is the first song of the album, which feels a bit more straight. It does not come with a strong contrast between the verses and the chorus, which leads to a very fluent listen. Love ti.
5. I Ain’t
While the first songs of the album have rather been on the slow and emotional side, I Ain’t is the first country rocker of Love Ain’t Pretty. Hope he is playing this song on his upcoming European tour (see below) – it is a blast and a lot of fun.
6. Another Song About You
The sixth track is another song which has not shared with the Charles Esten fans yet (at least not on streaming platforms etc.). Another Song About You is a rather mid-tempo recording, which has a really nice and catching groove. This song definitely hits my comfort zone quite perfectly.
7. When Love Ain’t Love
The double release When Love Ain’t Love and Make You Happy were the last teasers of this album. The two song combined just hit a combined 52k streams on Spotify at the day of album release. This really hurts me. Charles Esten deserves much more attention that that. And this song is a really nice one – I could imagine it could be a great radio track for European mainstream radio stations. The country music vibes in here are rather hidden. The song reminds me of the outstanding 2020 Richard Marx album, Limitless.
8. Candlelight
Candlelight does not sound like a firework of electric guitar and party powers, does it? Indeed, you receive a beautiful country ballad, which has some power ballad elements. However, these don’t disturb you from being romantic (and light a candle?) while listening to it. The eighth song is a beauty. Maybe you state She’s my candlelight to your beloved one during the listen as well.
9. Back In My Life Again
Back In My Life Again introduces a rather different style. The rhythmic song has a country-pop touch, the vibe of the track also makes you move to the melody of the song. Lovely one.
10. Make You Happy
I told you about the rather limited release success of Make You Happy already. This song is the showcase of Charles Esten’s bassist, who is pushing the country groove-o-meter to a high level. Partially, the song catches me like a reggae track. Thereby, the song does not push for the full summer vibes – but Make You Happy rather feels like a sunny spring day than cold winter.
11. Willing To Try
Willing To Try is rather quiet song, which feels a bit of mousy at first listen, especially in the context of the album. However, the song comes with a nice touch and can easily be underrated. Nice one.
12. Maybe I’m Alright
The twelfth song is not an uptempo song at all, but it is much more present than its predecessor. One reason for that is the blues style, in which the guitars and the backing organ lead to a sound which is rather unique in this album. Charles Esten is no Joe Cocker, but the vibe of the song reminds me a bit of the legendary British artist.
13. Down The Road (feat. Eric Paslay)
The album closes with two well-known tracks. And, honestly, how could a track co-written and co-performed by Eric Paslay go wrong? The two artists recorded one of the highlights of the album. Mentioning music legends, do you feel a bit of Bruce Springsteen spirit in here as well? Really good listen with a clear rock music attitude.
14. Somewhere In The Sunshine
The chucker-out Somewhere In The Sunshine is one of the emotional highlights of the album. Charles Esten is lovely in these kind of tracks.
Charles Esten – Love Ain’t Pretty – Spotify
Hee is the album on Spotify:
Charles Esten – Love Ain’t Pretty – My View
After I listened to the first few songs of the album, I was a bit of afraid that Love Ain’t Pretty might be a bit of monotonous. Luckily, Charles Esten proofed me absolutely wrong and presents a wide range of songs and atmosphere in his debut long-play. From ballads to rock, from summer vibes to rather intense listens – you got a wide range of country and Americana music in here. Definitely, this one is an album worth listening to.
Favorite Song: Another Song About You
Charles Esten – Love Ain’t Pretty Tour 2024

In April and May, Charles Esten is touring multiple stages in Europe:
Sa 20.04.2024 |
Edinburgh (United Kingdom) – Usher Hall |
|
Mo 22.04.2024 |
Glasgow – Royal Concert Hall |
|
We 24.04.2024 |
Gateshead – The Glasshouse |
|
Fr 26.04.2024 |
London – Palladium |
|
Sa 27.04.2024 |
Bristol – O2 Academy |
|
Mo 29.04.2024 |
Salford – Lowry Lyric Theatre |
|
Tu 30.04.2024 |
Birmingham – Town Hall |
|
Th 02.05.2024 |
Utrecht (Netherlands)- TivoliVredenburg |
|
Fr 03.05.2024 |
Hamburg (Germany) – Fabrik |
|
Sa 04.05.2024 |
Stuttgart – Im Wizemann |
|
Mo 06.05.2024 |
Munich – Circus Krone |
|
Tu 07.05.2024 |
Cologne – Carlswerk Victoria |
|
Th 09.05.2024 |
Copenhagen (Denmark) – DR Studio 2 |
|
Fr 10.05.2024 |
Oslo (Norway) – Kulturkirken Jakob |
|
Postings with Tour Dates 2024
Here are postings released in 2024, which contain tour dates:
There are not too many bands who dare to release albums a few days before Christmas. The more I was ...
There are just a few bands, which use Christmas time for album releases. The O'Reillys and the Paddyhats are a ...
The most famous Cologne band in the most important (and famous) venue of the city - how could there be ...
German artist Mense traveled through Spain for half a year. It was only himself, his wife and his dog Angus, ...
It's less than two weeks until I see Jessica Lynn live on stage again. Towards the end of the year, ...
The Sheepdogs indeed have a busy year 2024. In August, they released the EP Paradise Alone and recently returned from their ...
It's already six years ago since The Virginmarys released an album. There has been the EP Devil Keeps Coming in 2022, but ...
We Mavericks is a country-folk duo from Oceania. On 18th October 2024, they are releasing their sophomore album Heart of Silver ...
I loved Bell Book & Candle in the late 1990's. The German band from Berlin especially stroke with their debut ...
"Stand Up! Keep going!" is the (translated) title of the new album by Sebastian Krumbiegel. The featured singles of the ...
I does not happen too often that I set up a new edition for my Songs of the Week and decide ...
Jordan Rudess is looking back to an amazing musical career (so far). The US-American artist, originally from New York City, ...
Stanovsky is "greenish" - at least if you base that statement on the title his new album Grünlich. On 30th ...
European country music fans already look forward to the beginning of 2025, when Warren Zeiders will be touring the continent ...
Her breakthrough single has more than 240 million streams on Spotify only - Megan Moroney is arguably one of the ...
28th June 2024 features a new release by Nathaniel Rateliff. The singer-songwriter is sharing a new album with the Night ...
I have to give in - as a music blogger, I should have known Lindsey Stirling way before 17th May ...
On 22nd March 2024, the British indie-pop band Sea Girls topped my Songs of the Week edition of that week ...
As part of my 7th June 2024 album reviews, I have a look to Austria. Rather briefly after they have ...
Carly Pearce will always be a very special artist for me. As she opened a festival in Lexington, Kentucky, a ...
After their first steps did not really work out, the hard rock band Nestor boosted their career in very recent ...
For many years, Ilse de Lange was the most important female country artist of the Netherlands. However, her popularity outside ...
A really nice way to see that Flyctory.com has established and has a certain history is that some artist happen ...
I rarely run into rock bands from the Netherlands. The more, I was happy to receive the promo of the ...
Spacey Kacey is back! After the European fans are delighted to have the US-American artist back on their home stages ...
Which genre are you thinking about when the arrangement solely consists of a piano, a cello and a vocalist? If ...
With Be Okay To Not Be Okay, I present you another debut album from Germany. While you might not know the ...
Vanessa Peters is releasing music since more than two decades. After her 2021 album Modern Age, she is back in the ...
After the lovely 2021 album, You Hear Georgia, I am sharing my thoughts about a Blackberry Smoke album for the ...
Is this really the first time I am sharing my thoughts about a The Dead South release with you? I ...
Quite early before the release of Reliquien, I receved the first press information about the debut album by German artist ...
A Symphony Orchestra Composers from the World of Metal A Wild Conductor A truly unique Solist Attitude and Talent This ...
There is hardly any more controversial topic between my wife and I than music by Andreas Dorau: while I feel ...
Is it really a debut album? I love the music by Hannah Ellis since several years and just could not ...
I really love Italy - and I love Italian music. I already some Italian songs songs in my Songs of ...
After I closed the 2023 album review coverage with The Green Machine by Fiddler's Green, Irish folk rock from Germany, Irish ...
Flyctory.com in Pittsburgh
Here are all other postings by Flyctory.com related to Greater Pittsburgh:
I recently revamped the Country Music Picks featuring new releases of July 2024, this is the second time, I look ...
The same procedure as every year. The day when the NHL is releasing their match schedule for the upcoming season ...
I more and more tend to have hotels in the outer boroughs of Pittsburgh when I visit the city. The ...
End of April and beginning of May 2024 came with quite some photographic dates for me. Right after the Carrie ...
Especially as I could not make it to one of the Country To Country shows the weekend before, I was ...
Is it really New Year's Eve already again? The last day of the year? I am posting this one in ...
Arriving from New York City by the Amtrak Pennsylvanian Train in the evening, I needed a hotel with good connections ...
My second night in Pittsburgh in October 2023 was the perfect opportunity to try out something very new. I typically ...
If you solely take the ease of traveling as a criteria, I definitely took the wrong choice in regards of ...
Somehow, it is still the Heinz Field for the locals... The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Panthers share Acrisure Stadium for ...
The first evening in Pittsburgh during my March 2023 trip had a very easy schedule: land in Pittsburgh Airport (PIT), ...
I am typically rather shy about sharing tribute and cover albums with you.. If I do so, they have to ...
Home is where the heart is - I had the idea to this posting about my favorite cities of the ...
I do have to admit that I typically travel to Pittsburgh to visit my beloved Pittsburgh Penguins. However, there are ...
Last week, the NHL released their schedule for the 2023-24 season. This typically means a bunch of work to me, ...
Yeah, I am a Penguins fan and that's the thing which makes me travel to Pittsburgh regularly. Nonetheless, I also ...
March 2023 featured my annual ice hockey trip supporting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Right before the first match on my list, ...
On my recent March 2023 trip to Pittsburgh watching the Pittsburgh Penguins, I wanted to close a circle and also ...
When you pass North Huntingdon Southeast of Pittsburgh on the US-30, it feels like a very typical American city at ...
What would be a better posting while being on a trip to Pittsburgh than posting about... Pittsburgh. In fact, I ...
I recently introduced you to the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. The museum is also hosting a very ...
Damn, it is already four years... And it is more than 2,750 postings since then. On 25th February 2018, I ...
How could the music year 2023 start better than with with music from my beloved hockey hometown Pittsburgh? Anti-Flag are ...
The last posting of the year - Best Ones 2022 is introducing you to my best experience last years (as ...
On the fourth day of my Pittsburgh Penguins trip in March 2022, right before I headed on to Nashville, I ...
2.8 million followers on Instagram only - Wikipedia names Gabrielle Jeannette Hanna - or simply Gabbie Hanna an internet personality. Apart ...
No matter if you like his characteristic tomato sauce or not, Senator John Heinz (yeah, the ketchup guy...) is one ...
A lot of Christmas songs, a lot of covers and best of albums are the new releases in the - ...
Rock and harder rock styles have been a bit of under-represented in here the last weeks. The more I am ...
Weird times: my list of candidates for my Songs of the Week this time was much longer, but a lot of ...
Every year, some time in June or July, I am spending hours and hours looking into flight schedules, checking out ...
One of facts that underline that my March 2022 trip supporting the Pittsburgh Penguins had some organizational challenges is that ...
This week, I had at least an easy time determining the leading track of my Songs of the Week. I listened ...
Going to Pittsburgh is always very special to me. Typically, this means that there is a home match of my ...
Music City, Baby! The final airborne transfer within the USA on this Monday. I was so excited to be back ...
A very interesting direct return flight and the second Pittsburgh Penguins match - Sunday in Pennsylvania felt to be a ...
The first day of the trip without any flight - I finally decided to have a bit more of a ...
Two years without visiting the United States are about to come to an end: in March 2022, I had planned ...
During the later phases of the Covid-19 lock-downs in Germany, I had the idea to that posting. Maybe just because ...
William Fitzsimmons is a folk singer-songwriter, who is an active musician since 2005. On 25th June 2021, he released his ...
I already presented you my review of Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. As its key attraction is that special, I ...
The Carnegie Science Center is one of the best rated attractions in Pittsburgh. Of course, I have visited the nicely ...
In addition to the very personal new Songs of My Life category, I feel like having a bit more blogging contents on ...
Pittsburgh is my hockey home town - I try to see my Pittsburgh Penguins live at least a few times ...
When I scanned all new country albums and EPs on 10th July 2020, I just got stuck at She Drove Me ...
Gabby Barrett made it well in American Idol and even better with I Hope. The fans were waiting for her debut album, ...
Famous sons of Pittsburgh? I have to admit that my first thought is about Mario Lemieux - but that is ...
California, here I come. The first trip report of 2020 will bring me to California, where my ice hockey team, ...
The Hofbräuhaus is one of the maybe most well-known and iconic places in Munich, Germany. Even if you don't care about ...
Visiting Pittsburgh and especially my hockey team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, is always something very special to me. Even though Pittsburgh ...
After one night in Homestead, I had three additional nights at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Green Tree during my ...
After I finished reviewing the albums by Dustin Lynch and Little Big Town, I ran into several interesting new country ...
On my December 2019 trip to Pittsburgh, I had to book an additional night as I had to reschedule my ...
While I so far made an semi-annual look back in time, the "Very Important Postings", I decided something with my ...
The climate discussions during the last months again boosted discussions whether local traffic could not be for free to reduce ...
In contrast to the significantly more fancy Flagship Lounges (here is my review of the JFK one), the American Airlines ...
Even during my December 2019 stay in Pittsburgh, I frequently did get in touch with Christmas. There were not just ...
Pittsburgh is not only the city of the three rivers and countless bridges - on the southern bank of Monongahela ...
Travelling to the NHL Stadium Series match of the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Philadelphia Flyers in late February 2019, I ...
The Pittsburgh Penguins versus the Philadelphia Flyers - the Keystone State Rivalry was taken to its second stage in February ...