Salim Nourallah – A Way To Your Heart / Happiness Factor – Avoid Danger
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Posted On November 1, 2004
As a member of Rhett Millers Instigators and as someone whos shared stages with Slobberbone and Millers Old 97s, Dallas-based Salim Nourallah carries a connection to roots music thats primarily a matter of proximity. Hes much more of a Davies and Lennon guy than a Cash and Haggard fan, something that becomes apparent five seconds into his solo EP.
The six-song A Way To Your Heart offers Nourallahs take on frequently lovely, Beatles-did-it-first pop a la Neil Finn, Ron Sexsmith, and, thanks to the Strange Magic echoes of Overwhelmed, ELO. Nourallah roughs it up a bit, usually courtesy of vocals that can go from Pernice hushed to primal scream in a blink, but he never smudges the shine. And the title and chorus of The Skepticians boast one of the best made-up words since Richard Buckner unveiled fater and Ryan Adams rolled out losering.
The fleshed-out, noised-up full-length album from the Nourallah-led Happiness Factor is in the same vein but with more of everything: more songs, more players (including members of the Sparrows and the Deathray Davies), more sounds. The first half has some strong moments, particularly the mid-period-Kinks rush of opener The In-Crowd and the curiously compelling over-the-top vocals of Soft, but Avoid Danger hits its stride on the homestretch. Thats where Nourallah not only embraces his inner early Elvis Costello, he lets his mini-McManus out and hands him the keys to the rest of the record.
Trouble Magnet sports a jacked-up Stax backbeat a la Get Happy, while The Hand That Feeds is visited by Steve Nieve-style carnival organ. And with Costello on the brain, Use Radios! is bound to make you think of Radio, Radio. The former isnt a particularly weighty indictment of the airwaves, but its sure enough catchy.
A deeper music-biz examination arrives courtesy of the unlisted bonus track Mr. Critic, on which Nourallah sings of the symbiotic/necessary-evil relationship between artist and critic. Did you learn good taste at critics school?/Did you study little books on whats square and cool? asks the protagonist. But there are other questions, such as, Do you think youll give it one or four stars?/Can we buy you a drink at the bar? I give it 3-1/2. And Ill have what youre having.
