JOE NOLAN : LUV IN THE NEW WORLD

 

  1. Wake Up Sleepy Anna
  2. Too Much Time To Kill
  3. Half A Tear, Half A Grin
  4. Been Here Before
  5. Blood On The Pages
  6. Rebound
  7. Modern Day Melancholy
  8. Daffodil
  9. The Maze
  10. When They Call Your Name

Label : Beach House Records

Release Date : September 19, 2025

Length : 46:28

Review (Written In Music) : Het uit 2014 daterende Tornado, betekende een eerste kennismaken met de Canadese singer songwriter. Sindsdien zijn we de man wat uit het oog verloren. Onze interesse werd aangewakkert met het vorig jaar rond de kerstperiode uirgebrachte Lost Verses,een soloproject dat zijn reputatie van ‘lone wolf’ bevestigde. Joe Nolan groeide op in Alberta, in de landelijk omgeving van Sturgeon nabij het noordelijke deel van de Saskatchewan rivier en leefde altijd in relatieve isolatie en komt telkens naar buiten met moeilijk in een bepaald hokje vast te pinnen genre. Zelf omschrijft hij het als zijn ‘caravan dagboek’, refererend naar een door de lokroep van muziek bepaald zwervend bestaan. Onlangs reide Nolan r af af naar Glendale in Californië, in de Choral Bell Studios , met voortreffelijkr bregeleiders als procucer Tuler Chester, Jay Bellerose. De openingstrack Wake Up Sleepy Anna, een fictief personage dat hoop in harde tijden brengt. De thematiek met verhalen over geweld en oorlog vormt een sterk contrast met de melodieuze muziek, op een galmend klankbord van strijkers en piano en elektrische gitaar vertelt Nolan zijn verhaal. Naast Nolan’s akoestische gitaar diept hij harmonica op in Too Much Time To Kill, een haast Dylaneske ballade over een eenzame man die mijmert over het verleden, de achtergrondzang is evenals de treurig viool van Sarah Watkins (Nickel Creek) afkomstig. Die viool is overigens alomtegenwoordig en kleurt niet alleen Been Here Before, een akoestische folksong. “We paid our dues in all these barrooms and broken stages”, een eresaluut aan zijn lotgenoten on the road. Na het bittere Rebound en het met grillig snarenwerk ondersteunde Modern Day in Melancholy brengt Daffodil, een verstilde pianoballade, een moment van bezinning waarin Nolan zich kwetsbaar opstelt. We dobberen verder in rustig wateren met de slepende blues van The Maze. “You took me in your kitchen, and pulled out a razorblade, you pinned up against my flesh” zo opent When They Call You Name, een bijna negen minuten aanslepend epos. Donker parlando op piano sleurt je mee in een mistroostige sfeer die je niet meteen loslaat. De troubadour uit Sturgeon levert andermaal een beklijvend werkstuk af.

Review (Keys And Chords) : Joe Nolan is naast een virtuoze gitarist, ook een ongrijpbare dichter en muzikale kameleon,. Hij groeide op in de landelijke gemeenschap Sturgeon County, Alberta. Gevangen tussen twee kleine noordelijke stadjes, vond hij al op jonge leeftijd zijn plek in deze wereld, opgroeiend langs de North Saskatchewan River. Nolan heeft altijd aan de rand van de stad gewoond en kan moeilijk te vatten zijn. Hij breekt met genres en tart alle labels, en definieert zijn sound als "Dit zijn mijn caravandagboeken", waarbij hij beweert te gaan waar de muze hem ook brengt. Hij heeft vele onderscheidingen op zijn naam staan, waaronder de nominatie voor de Canadian Folk Music Award voor zijn album ‘Lost Verses’ uit 2023. Gelukkig laat hij die prijzen echter liever stof verzamelen dan zich in de schijnwerpers te koesteren. De release ‘Luv In The New World’ werd live opgenomen in Los Angeles met de ritmesectie met Jay Bellerose op drums en Sebastian Steinberg op bas. De dromerige single ‘Wake Up Sleepy Anna’ is een emotioneel poëem, en is eigenlijk de rode draad doorheen het album. Het is tevens een krachtig anthem dat de centrale thema’s van het album van de singer-songwriter uit Alberta, weerspiegelt . Geďnspireerd door een fictieve Russische prinses genaamd Anna, luidt het nummer de alarmbel voor ons allemaal en verkondigt het een universele roep om hoop in donkere tijden. Net zoals ook ‘Blood On The Pages’ en de meest bluesy song ‘Too Much Time To Kill’, dat is ingekleurd met knappe mondharmonica.

Review (Americana UK) : “Luv in the New World” is the title of Canadian artist Joe Nolan’s new album, produced by Grammy Award winner Tyler Chester. Mostly recorded on tape live off the floor, there is an immediate rawness and warmth to the sound that adds extra weight to Nolan’s compositions, further enriched by an excellent group of accompanying musicians. The lineup might change from one song to another, but Nolan’s perfectly controlled voice remains as one of the album’s key elements. The record kicks off with ‘Wake Up Sleepy Anna’, a smooth yet poignant track that was released as the album’s lead single. The lyrics tell the story of Anna, a fictional character who serves as a symbol for hope in uncertain times. It’s a wake-up call in which an optimistic attitude is taken despite the maelstrom of violent imagery that precedes in each verse, a contrast well-echoed in the choice of instrumentation. Piano, strings and soft backing vocals serve as a counterpoint to the rolling electric guitar licks in the background, reinforcing one of the song’s main ideas. Next up is ‘Too Much Time to Kill’, a lyrically darker track about a solitary man who reminisces over memories of a lost love, with plenty of room for further interpretation. The beautiful backing vocals by Sara Watkins, who also plays fiddle on this track, hover over the song as the phantom of Loretta, the woman mentioned repeatedly throughout. In general, “Luv in the New World” is a heavily narrative album, and ‘Too Much Time to Kill’ is a good example of how Nolan crafts his stories from small details and sometimes vague allusions that allow the narratives to expand in the listener’s mind. There are plenty of stories in the album, and you can imagine Nolan finds inspiration in his travels, as he is known to perform around 150 shows every year, between North America and Europe, often in his Dodge Caravan. There’s a clear dedication to his music, an idea that’s touched upon in ‘Blood on the Pages’, a song for all those people who commit their lives to chasing their dreams, and especially to those who choose a life on the road. Some might fall short and be left behind along the way, but others, like Nolan, carry on regardless. A personal favourite on the album is ‘Daffodil’, a stripped-down ballad of great emotional power. Here, once again, Anna makes an appearance, giving new meaning to the lyrics: “You’re not giving up They say we’re gonna lose in love Anna, are you strong enough? Wanna know the truth of it We didn’t choose it We were born with the music It’s time we use it” Influenced by the title “Luv in the New World”, different listeners may approach the album with varying ideas about what this might mean in relation to the lyrics, for instance, romantic expressions specific only to our times. However, love can exist in many forms, whether it’s love for another person, a better world, one’s passions, people who are no longer here, or distant memories. All these varied facets are touched upon within the context of general uncertainty, which in the album serves as the core representation of modern issues, allowing for more personal stories to be woven around the underlying chaos.

Review (Spill Magazine) : A skilled artist can create a great song by blending skilled musicianship with endearing melodies and setting catchy words to music. On the other hand, the ability to create lyrics which, when juxtaposed with the perfect instrumentation, create heart-moving pieces that leave the listener changed forever, is much rarer. Lyrics are the gift granted to listeners who take the time to listen. The ability to write lyrics that turn one’s soul upside down, forcing the listener to feel emotions that are at once otherly and profound, is a true gift. That is the case with Joe Nolan. His music cannot be separated from its lyrics. Nolan is clearly an old soul, one who has lived a hundred lives in his young life, and as a result his lyrics are gifted with a wisdom and depth that are rarely seen. Luv in the New World, Nolan’s ninth album, was recorded live off the floor in an LA studio, along with drummer Jay Bellerose (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss) and bass player Sebastian Steinberg (Lucinda Williams, Phoebe Bridgers). Produced by Grammy Award-winner Tyler Chester, it is a collection of 10 songs that will bring a smile to your face, tears to your eyes, and a whole gamut of feels in between. He is gentle and unassuming, so you will not see it coming. There is no flash here, just soothing vocal harmonies backed by gentle acoustic guitar melodies and understated drums, and the occasional melancholic harmonica riff. The musical structures that so eloquently frame Nolan’s vocals are gentle at times, gut-wrenching at others, and when you least expect it, a lethal combination of both. Luv in the New World kicks off with the melancholic “Wake up Sleepy Anna,” where the tone drifts in and out from a sense of hollowness to one of hope. It is both sad and soothing at the same time. “Wake up little Anna/The World needs your love today.” Life is hard and we all need that message at times. “Blood on the Pages” is an introspective piece about Nolan’s life on the road, which has pretty much been most of his adult life. His collective works he refers to as his “caravan diaries”, about his time touring in his 2003 Dodge Caravan he calls “Rocco,” as he follows his heart, performing over 150 shows a year in North America and Europe, going “wherever the muse takes me.” “I wear my heart out on my sleeve/And someday you’re gonna take it,” he laments here. You can be certain it has been done many times before. Hailing from Sturgeon County, AB, Joe Nolan has garnered the attention of the West Coast Music Industry, having been nominated a for a number of awards over the years including West Coast Music Awards (WCMA) and Canadian Folk Music Awards (CFMA). It is time for the rest of Canada to take notice, and Luv in the New World should be the album to achieve that. In “Half a Tear, Half a Grin,” Nolan states “If I could leave you just one thing/‘Be a half a tear and half a grin.” On Luv in the New World, he does that in multiples. Just be sure to listen.