Israel Nash OZARKER. Loose Music

“I think the reason so much of that classic heartland rock and roll endures is because it touches on themes we all feel so deeply: desire, struggle, commitment, escape. As an artist, I’m always aspiring to touch as many people as possible, and that’s what this music has always represented for me. I was born and raised in small-town Missouri. All the people and the stories and the music that shaped me come from that part of the country, and I could feel it calling back to me on this album.”

“I think the reason so much of that classic heartland rock and roll endures is because it touches on themes we all feel so deeply: desire, struggle, commitment, escape. As an artist, I’m always aspiring to touch as many people as possible, and that’s what this music has always represented for me.”

Review

“Hailed as a “master of sonic textures” by Rolling Stone and “folk-rock visionary” by Uncut, Israel Nash first rose to fame in Europe, where he built a loyal following with a series of critically acclaimed albums that landed him a deal with the renowned Loose Music label. As American audiences began to catch on, the Missouri native relocated to Dripping Springs, Texas, where he built his own recording studio on a ranch and embraced a more spacious, psychedelic sound that landed somewhere between Neil Young and Pink Floyd. Produced by Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Ray LaMontagne), Nash’s newest record, OZARKER, finds him returning to his Midwestern roots, embracing the heartland rock he grew up on with larger-than-life guitars, anthemic melodies, and rich character studies.”

Opener ‘Can’t Stop’ sets the stage, with percolating synthesisers bubbling up beneath reverb-drenched guitars that build into an explosive crescendo. Like much of the album, it’s a song about motion and growth and liberation, but there’s also doubt lurking beneath the surface. The fiery ‘Roman Candle’ chases confidence and inner-strength, while the melancholy ‘Pieces’ searches for a sense of normalcy in the wake of loss, and the dreamy ‘Firedance’ refuses to surrender to the weight of the world.

Elsewhere, the rapturous title track tells the story of Nash’s great-grandfather, a migrant worker who fell in love with an orchard owner’s daughter and kept his promise to return in a year to marry her; the searing ‘Lost In America’ - inspired by a family friend - follows a shell-shocked Vietnam vet who can’t find peace in his own skin; and the ominous ‘Shadowland’ explores the vicious cycles of drug abuse and poverty that continue to haunt struggling families in rural Missouri.

There are fabulous winding guitar riffs aplenty, great lyrics, strong melodies, nice diversity of pace and acres of passionate vocal deliveries. Having witnessed a live performance here in the UK last year I urge you to seek him out if he’s in your neck of the woods. Strongly recommended.

4.5/5

Track Listing

Can’t Stop
Roman Candle
Ozarker
Pieces
Going Back
Firedance
Lost In America
Midnight Hour
Travel On
Shadowland

https://israelnash.com/
https://www.facebook.com/israelnashmusic
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5skM4jc4QoEpHiWWl6OoW7

ISRAEL NASH ‘CAN’T STOP’ WATCH THE LYRIC VIDEO HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLEcFqMj4m8
PRE-ORDER/SAVE: https://go.israelnash.com/OZRKa