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Beaver Nelson The Last Hurrah Freedom Records First albums are tough. But they shouldn't be this tough. Especially for someone like Beaver Nelson, who's twangy, tuneful pop caused Rolling Stone to take notice and call him a "teenage songwriting prodigy" way back in 1991. Nearly eight years and two major label deals later, Nelson finally has "The Last Hurrah." In a just world, Nelson would be hailed as a pioneer of the "No Depression" movement, having spent so much time touring the Austin and Houston music scenes, taking his inspiration from the source. According to a story in the Austin American-Statesman, Nelson wrote most of the songs on "Hurrah" after attending Townes Van Zandt's funeral in `97. Though Nelson's sound generally drifts toward pop, he does share a homespun sensibility and a knack for intense, personal songwriting with the country legend. "All Over" could be his version of Van Zandt's classic "Lungs." For proof, consider the lines "My hands are stronger than they used to be/Holding on to some things/Bottles and dust, but hope and trust slipped away on dark wings." "Too Much Moonlight" and "One Car Collision" are cut from the same magic, melancholy cloth as the best late-night juke joint tunes. Nelson's voice drifts between optimism and detachment over a background of plucking telecasters and moaning fiddles. But, as with the best of alt.country, just before Nelson hits a wallowing depth, he cracks a smile, shrugs, and starts over on "Things Get Shaky `Round Midnight." It's hard not to smile at a line like "Spooky houses, black lights/Unbuttoned blouses, and knife fights." There are plenty of odes to drunken mischief and hanging out with buddies. "Forget Thinkin'" is an anthem to being out of your head. "Another beer before happy hour/To put me in the mood for drinkin'/Oh, forget thinkin'." But even as his sensibility is rooted firmly in the stool at the end of the bar, Nelson is able to pull back and tell us what it all means. "Drive You Home" caps the album of nicely, like closing time. Nelson's strums a gentle accompaniment to lilting violins, singing "And her face turns like a compass/From your direction due south/And last call sounds like the trumpets/And angel's drought to a sinner's mouth. It's nice to know who your friends are/They're the ones who drive you home." With songs like these, and nuggets like "Strong as I Look" and "Pyramids," it's hard to imagine that this isn't Nelson's third or fourth album. It could be. He's already recorded a couple of albums' worth of material for Columbia and Epic, both of which eventually dropped him after political shuffling and artistic restructuring. There's an entire album in Epic's vaults that Nelson recorded with Tony Scalzo and Joey Shuffield, now of Fastball. As a result, the public can now be introduced to a fully matured, road-tested and fire-tempered artist on his first album. Hopefully, it won't be seven years until his next. -Nick |
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