say the least. His songs, poignant and mas- terfully crafted, are delivered with finesse. Drawing inspiration from artists like Amos Lee, Ray Lamontagne, and Lyle Lovett, Nel- son carves out his own style, and leaves me wanting to hear more. Of the eleven tracks on the record, all
are original with the exception of one. That one exception is an amazing, retooled cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line”. He defi- nitely made this one his own. Nelson’s puls- ing blues-laden spiritual, “Go Down Ezekiel” is terrific and swampy, with guitarist Kevin Barry (Rosanne Cash, Susan Tedeschi, Paula Cole) onboard. The poetic dirge “Ghost in the Basement”, an absolute favorite, is beautifully written and sang with a heartfelt perform- ance. In “Silent Majority,” Nelson takes a Dylan-esque stance and boldly proclaims that silence strengthens authority, indifference paves the way, and ain’t nothing gonna ever change if we’re silent. The song is loaded with a twangy goodness from Barry, and nicely accented with harmonizing backing vo- cals from Kristin Cifelli, Ellis Paul, and Nickie Fuller.
Paul Nelson scores huge with this
recording. Terrific from beginning to end, Over Under Through is a captivating and re- warding listen.
-Phillip Smith
David Ball Come See Me (Public Records) It seems David Ball’s music has always had a place in my life. Growing up here in Spartanburg, SC, I was afforded many
an opportunity to see and hear Uncle Walt’s Band live – Ball, Walter Hyatt and Champ Hood. Then one day they all but disappeared,
relocating to Austin, Texas where they be- came legends. During one of my stints as a country radio DJ, David Ball showed up with and album and single called “Thinkin’ Problem” that would catapult him into solo stardom. A few years later, Ball released his finest album, Amigo, with its single “Riding with Private Malone.” On Come See Me, Ball strips it all down to just the essentials. Sparce instrumentation frames these melodic songs that score huge in the lyric department. It’s very reminiscent of the days of Hank Williams, where an original country voice delivered an original country song straight from the heart. Just when it looked like real country music was going the way of the dinosaur, along comes Ball with “I Got a Broken Heart in the Mail,” and the pretty “Get Your Arms Around this Broken Heart.” Like the best country music, every song tells a story, from “Beaumont Dent & Alignment” to “Pretty Baby,” and “Are You Lonesome for Me,” a song that leaps from the speakers sounding like 1950. “Lettin’ Go” rocks along with a great
beat, as does the Tex Mex of “Little Ranchero.” All fourteen songs on Ball’s new record are well written and well performed, honest to God country music from an honest to God country boy.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
John Mayall Nobody Told Me (Forty Below Records) The highly-revered Godfather of British Blues, John Mayall is back, and this time he’s bringing a
slew of A-list guitarists to the studio with him. The list of guests on this album is com- prised of Todd Rundgren, Little Steven Van
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