I don’t know what it is about Nate Nelson’s voice that seems to draw me into his songs but dammit if I haven’t listened to his record about 10 times in the past week or so. Usually, Nelson just sings over a strummed guitar and lets his voice do all the dynamic work. On the stuff I’ve heard lately, however, he’s got some backing vocals and accompanying instruments: guitars, drums, keys and the like. For some singer-songwriters, that’s where you’ll lose interest. Nelson is different though.
Anytime I see Nate perform, I’m amazed at how well he transfers over his sound to a live setting. Sure, the crowd that seems to follow him around is not my typical gang but hey, the music is good. Nate’s an observational singer, often writing songs about writing songs. There’s one about him struggling for words, one about walking around with friends, another about trying to sing… His songs tend to lean towards the softer side of rock, sometimes blending so well into each other that I can’t tell them apart. The real draw remains his voice. My favorite by far is the track “Hoping that Home Will Stay at Home.” It’s absolutely gorgeous. If you’re looking for a talented young songwriter, Nate’s your guy.
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