From the opening notes of “Valentina” and its easy-going swish of acoustic guitars and lap steel, North Carolina’s Tyler Nail’s warm vocals sound like they came from the same dirt that nourished The Band’s collective voice. There are generous helpings of vocal fertilizer from Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Levon Helm and some Hot Tuna.
Tyler Nail also looks like he could have sat in with these musicians at any time in their careers.
But Tyler is his own man – with “Lipstick On My Cheek” there is a saucy Michael Kinchen saxophone take that bridges the dynamics of Americana with a little MOR jazz and it’s a delight. The vocals are expressive and the performance solid with the percussion quite exciting and the arrangement tight.
From the hyper “Lipstick” the album moves into a pensive piano driven “Brooklyn Moon,” where Tyler sharpens his Frank Sinatra leanings. While Sinatra was closer to cognac voiced Tyler drifts over the percussive brushes with a voice that is like homemade wine. It aches but not in a painful way, in an experienced way. He has that singer-songwriter lived-in-these-songs before I wrote them tone.
Tyler Nail’s vocals are whiskey-soaked James Taylor at times, and there’s a dose of REM’s Michael Stipe definitely running through his voice box. However, the approach is Tyler’s, the inflections are Americana and the pacing and phrasing: candy to the ear.
The tune “Firelight and the Diamond Rings,” has a spooky windy affect blowing across the microphone as the crystal clear acoustic guitar picks out a pensive, heart wrenching Spanish-flavored ballad melody. Lyrics are quite poetic and Nail is in total control, hitting notes even Michael Stipe didn’t attempt. The song would have worked even without the “sound effects” because the song alone is powerful and did not need to impress with any sonic.
Tyler continues with another melodic ballad with sharp drum licks in “Sycamore,” and this time there are no sonics. It began to sound almost like a Michael Stipe solo album but as great as Stipe is – except for some songs he was not known for poignancy at this level. Stipe also does not possess the cool Americana that Tyler edges his vocal pronunciations with. This song is a classic waiting to blossom. If he wanted to be, Tyler Nail would be an ideal balladeer. The emotion in his voice is rich. I always thought mixing it up on an album was wise, a fast opener, a ballad, a mid-tempo, a rocker, a slow one. But, here Tyler has three mid-tempos in a row but they seem to be all part of an important fabric.
“Evergreen,” continues with lilting piano notes and acoustic guitar picking with affective lyrics wrapped in sincerity. All of these sound like well-practiced songs that were recorded just short of being over analyzed. Instead, they are all shined with a brilliance that does not cause squinting. Late night tunes for sure, just as your head hits the pillow and you search for some peace. This is what James Taylor used to do – Nail unfolds the story in the song with lovely lullaby pacing, controlled slow words spoken to someone who is obviously dear to him. None of his ballads so far are boring. A nice personal and nuanced style at work here.
“Some Old Lesson Learned” is a wonderful story-song with a weeping Sam Kossler pedal steel performance. It’s like watching waves in the ocean flow in slow motion. Then a pristine vocal by Terry Flagg that is like honey. Together, Tyler Nail and Terry stitch an emotional web of notes. They’re just singers after all – how can they sound so emotional? The song is what most of today’s country songs aspire to and never, never reach. It’s like a painting that is so rich in colors and image it needs no ornate frame to bring it’s art out.
This song could very well be worth the price of the entire CD. If you enjoy folk music, country, Americana, folk-rock, ballads, middle-of-the-road songs or just something that reeks of honesty – this is the tune.
Nail brings it all home with the final track – “Chapter One,” With additional guitars by Johnathan Loos who peppers additional guitars on several cuts on this album. It’s an optimistic melody that would segue wonderfully into anything Hot Tuna or Little Feat would perform. It’s refreshing to know that someone is continuing in their tradition and doing it with such talent and enthusiasm.
The CD has eleven cuts and packaged in an attractive cardboard booklet style jacket. The art used on my CD didn’t translate to this review properly so I used what appeared to be an alternate cover. My copy also didn’t have a small lyric booklet but judging from the songs I heard, a lyric book would have been a nice touch. The song lyrics are part of the beauty of this package.
The focus should be more on the rustic side of Tyler Nail – he has created a compelling mystique with his full Smith Brothers Cough Drops beard and backwoods easy going manner. Few songs are in your face, but they certainly grab onto your ears and they don’t let go.
The band at present is also comprised also of: Quique Rodriguez-Pastor on bass: “Valentina” and “San Antonio.” Joe Jones — electric guitar on “Brooklyn Moon.”
Song Sample – North Carolina – From the Winter to Winter LP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni1Cmiwsopg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tylernail
Rdio: http://www.rdio.com/artist/Tyler_Nail/album/Feathers/
Website: http://www.tylernailmusic.com/
Album was Produced and Recorded by Taylor Nail at The Red House
Image of bearded Tyler Nail in blue shirt at piano copyright Bruce Chapman / Journal
Image of Tyler Nail with guitar in studio from Tyler Nail Facebook / Copyright – Timeline Photos
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this review / commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of No Depression. All photography is owned by the respective photographers and is their copyrighted image; credited where photographer’s name was known & being used here solely as reference and will be removed on request. YouTube images are standard YouTube license.
John Apice / No Depression / December 2014
