NATHAN KALISH : I WANT TO BELIEVE

1. Bar Fight
2. Winter Phase Revisited
3. Bullies Win Again
4. Frail Shadow
5. My Best
6. Desert Scene Take one
7. Roswell
8. Do You Ever
9. End of the World
10. Fly Over State Of Mind

Label : Nathan Kalish Winterwildfires

Release Date : January 19, 2018

Length : 37:48

Review (Chalked Up Reviews) : Born in the American Midwest and now calling Nashville home, Nathan Kalish is a talented singer-songwriter and bandleader that has a special gift of crafting well-written songs. In place of college, Kalish maxed out a credit card and bought recording gear to capture his music. He took odd jobs at funeral homes or restaurants between DIY tours, at nineteen, he managed to keep himself booked locally, regionally and nationally with his band Nathan Kalish & The Wildfire. After opening for the Deadstring Brothers (Bloodshot Records), he was asked to join the tour and he hit the road full time. That is the key to Kalish’s songwriting abilities, he is a doer, he does it and has been in the trenches living the touring life. Those experiences and focused single-mindedness has paid off with his new recording, I Want to Believe. I Want to Believe was produced by David Beeman (notably of Pokey LaFarge’s most recent) and is an independently released country-Americana record with a tip of the hat to psychedelic, folk and rock ‘n roll. The songs vary from wistful introspect to social commentary while managing to keep a cohesive familiarity recognizable to fans and followers. Kalish has a Blue-Collar approach to his lyrics that gives his music a true-to-life quality of life in America. The album has ten tracks that feature Kalish’s country twanged vocals with a cast of musicians that are supportive and help bring life, his musical stories. Our favorite song is “Winter Phase Revisited.” The song starts of immediately with Kalish’s voice and lyrics pulling us into the personified story of cold Northern winter months with an ex-lover. The slight twang in Kalish’s voice gives the music a nice country sound. His songwriting and the development of the song is obliging. The verse has a nice relaxed feel, when the chorus enters, the band’s actively increases over a more active quarter note pulse. The descending line at the end of the chorus’ phrase is pleasing. The instrumental interlude with the quick guitar lines and band hits also take this songs places unexpected. The verse returns to the original feel with added layers and the story continues. Kalish has a down home appeal to his music, its honest and revealing. Driving with an acoustic guitar sound, at times accompanied with electrified sounds. He represents a truer country sound that rings true for the every day man. His tunes range from sorrowful, to easy going, to club stomping country tunes. A worthy listen.

Review (Twangri-La) : This came out in January so I am a little late. But this album is so good that it needs to be heard. This is true classic country both in musical stylings as well as the song topics. This is true tear in your beer country. With song titles like Bar Fight, Bullies Win Again, Frail Shadow, End Of The World, etc., you know this is going to be a multi tissue listen. Maybe I like tragic stories or maybe misery loves company, I don’t know. What I do know is this, I Want To Believe is absolutely irresistible. Let’s begin at the beginning with the classic in the making, Bar Fight (Track 1). It isn’t what you might think by the title. The bar fight is Nathan fighting himself and his demons. Let’s overlook the musicianship for a moment, which is absolute perfection. I want to focus on the lyrics. This is definitely one of those tissue moments: I lay in bed, nurse my aching head, I earned in a bar fight, I lose to my demons most every night, Talking to spirits, That tell me to have some more wine. It really doesn’t get any better than this. Talk about man versus himself. I stated I would get back to the musicianship and I am a man of my word. The instrumentation is blissful. Nathan and the band know how to evoke every bit of emotion in their playing. They know there way around a sad country song pretty good. This is not uncharted territory. The sadness continues. Take the next classic in the making, Frail Shadow (Track 4). When the song first began, I thought it was a cover of Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere because that iconic intro also graces Frail Shadow. This is song is superbly written and played. And Nathan’s singing is absolutely soulful and oh so real. I can’t say enough good things about this number. You really have to listen for yourselves to truly appreciate the greatness. Just when you start to reach for that third tissue, Nathan lightens up the mood with the rocker Roswell (Track 7). The guitar is Chuck Berry style rockabilly and it is the perfect call. I am still completely impressed by the strong lyrical content on the album in general and especially on this song. This is a road song and makes me feel like taking the car out for an eight hour spin and listen to this song on repeat. Not the whole way. I do need variety. Speaking of variety, this is the type of diversity that a good record collection needs. And you just can’t have too much classic style country in a collection. I Want To Believe is destined to become a cornerstone album for any real country music fan. Certainly one of my best for 2018. Nathan really topped his other great albums and created his best work to date.