Handsome, charismatic, and talented; Nick Dakota is not your average guitar player who can sing. Playing in bands since he was 16, Nick Dakota was born to do just this. Discovered by the famous producer, Robyn Robins (of Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band) Robins believes highly in the talents of Nick and the future of his music career. So much so that he has produced this debut album with top notch heavy hitters out of Nashville. “We feel Nick has great potential. The songs, vocal delivery, and overall production are great,” quotes Robins. “Vision” embodies the best of Country music and top quality production. Each track flows into the next creating a mood and experience honoring its title. Lee Hendricks (Eric Church’s bass player), Steve Hinson (steel guitar for Randy Travis) and Troy Lancaster (Tim McGraw’s guitar player) are just a few of the talent tsunami that bring “Vision” to life.
Country rock is still a very hot commodity in both the recording and touring fields, and this CD is no exception. In-fact it rocks pretty hard and you can tell that Nick Dakota isn’t your grandpa’s country but still respects tradition. There’s other styles of music as well, including the pop variety that starts things off with “Fall All Over Again.” It’s a good opener but no indication of what follows, even though the second track “Heart On Fire” doesn’t gain much distance from it, as the two don’t even deliver in setting up the overall tone of the record. But they do ease you into the rest very well. But for me the energy doesn’t get underway until the third song. This is not a rare thing, just and observation.
“How Cool Is That” starts to show how good Dakota really is on all levels and the rest is gravy. This is a well-written cut that bleeds all over the place. It’s all about humility, and the backing track combines acoustic and electric guitar with female backing vocals. This contains an excellent chorus and a strong country rock appeal. By not it is evident that a good collection of songs underway, as it gets undeniably awesome. This standard is maintained throughout, from the romantic swagger of “How Much I Love,” and the rocking narrative delivery of “One Last Request,” to the even more rocking R&B vibes of “Rain Down Sunshine.” These are all compelling as they bubble right along. The latter being one of the best tracks thus far.
“Past You and Me” is likely the most soulfully appealing piece, and a good way to follow such a strong one in the previous track. This is another point where things peak, with an intro that is actually reminiscent of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley.” But after a bit of that, “Sledgehammer” goes onto do all kinds of magic. The arrangement totally rocks but he keeps mostly to country vocals with a rocking chorus and some killer guitar that features a searing solo. This sits at the center of all the humor and wit contained on this CD, and surpasses most out there attempting to rock as hard as any country does. But country music fans will still love how he stays within those lines. But you can say this is equally as rock as it is country. But it still leans a little more on the country side.
That pretty much cleaned up but there is more, and “The Deep End” once again reminds of a Pete Townsend reference. I suspect he listens to a lot of The Who, as it reflects on his rock side. This one has that romantic flair and also contains some more signature guitar, a slinky, soothing sound that frequently repeats. And things get more romantic on “Too,” and the final track “Used,” which aren’t so much my cup of tea, along with the two opening songs. But the rest of this CD is terrific and so is Nick Dakota and the line-up of pros he selected to work with. I recommend it on just those strengths alone, but delve into what’s inside this and you can’t lose the Vision. It’s positive, fresh and relevant. And so is Nick Dakota.
URL: http://www.nickdakotaofficial.com/#!blog/e4hv4
I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/vision/id1093348040
8/10
Cyrus Rhodes
