According to his press agents, this Canadian singer-songwriter possesses ”a primal hunger for love in its rawest, most human form.” In the song Blood On The Pages Nolan sings ” I wear my heart on my sleeve.”
In an effort to get our attention, he throws everything but the kitchen sink into the arrangement to the opening tune Wake Up Little Anna . The soaring strings and full vocal chorus seem like a case of aural overkill for such a simple tune. Someone should have told him that he’s more impressive when he keeps things unembellished and more genuinely rustic i.e. rugged vocals and acoustic strumming.
Most of the album was recorded live to 1-inch tape but the fussy production (by Tyler Chester) and overdubbed string arrangements swamp any aspirations towards immediacy and simplicity. A wealth of accompanying musicians include Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek who plays fiddle and appears on backing vocals.
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Nolan goes for broke and strives for a full Desolation Row dramatic effect in the nine-minute closing track When They Call Your Name but he’s no new Dylan.
The striving for a troubadour style, blues-driven poetic authenticity is really nothing new and, while Nolan can write a decent tune, this record feels like an exercise in style rather than a quest for truthfulness.
Joe Nolan’s website
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