2019 – Riverwide Records
By Phillip Smith; Feb. 10, 2019
Over
Under Through the new album from Paul Nelson is a powerful
one to say the least. His songs, poignant
and masterfully crafted, are delivered with finesse. Drawing inspiration from artists like Amos
Lee, Ray Lamontagne, and Lyle Lovett, Nelson carves out his
own style, and leaves me wanting to hear more.
Of the eleven tracks on the record, all are original
with the exception of one. That one
exception is an amazing, retooled cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the
Line”. He definitely made this one his
own. Nelson’s pulsing blues-laden
spiritual, “Go Down Ezekiel” is terrific and swampy, with guitarist Kevin Barry
(Rosanne Cash, Susan Tedeschi, Paula Cole) onboard. The poetic dirge “Ghost in the Basement”, an
absolute favorite, is beautifully written and sang with a heartfelt performance. In “Silent Majority”, Nelson takes a Dylan-esque
stance and boldly proclaims that silence strengthens authority, indifference
paves the way, and ain’t nothing gonna ever change if we’re silent. The song is loaded with a twangy goodness from
Barry, and nicely accented with harmonizing backing vocals from Kristin
Cifelli, Ellis Paul, and Nickie Fuller.
Paul Nelson scores huge with this recording. Terrific from beginning to end, Over Under Through is a captivating and
rewarding listen.
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