Album Details

• Artist: Nate Hall
• Album: A Great River
• Label: Neurot
• Year of Release: 2012
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2012-05-12

With an intriguing bio that states A Great River was recorded in it's entirety over the course of one evening, and some words from Neurosis' Scott Kelly, I dived into Nate Hall's debut solo effort with immediate anticipation. With songs that dig into the roots of Americana, and a sound that is barren of all save Nate's powerful voice and adept acoustic/electric guitar work, A Great River plays much like early Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and, at times, a more mellow and depressive Tom Petty.

Nate's songwriting chops are incredibly precise, weaving swirling, trance-like passages of guitar around profound lyrical imagery, occasionally broken with choruses that act like monumentous crescendos. A strong sense of spirituality and ancient wisdom clings to the corners of A Great River, pinning each track down with a sage-like clarity of thought and direction. While the entire effort is truly remarkable, certain tracks lend themselves more to the end result than others. Opener "The Earth In One Cell" is a wonderful example of Nate's innate ability to completely engross his listeners, and was a fine choice to introduce the artist. The dark, lonely "Night Theme" stuck with me in a big way, as did the gritty, pensive "Raw Chords" and the electric take on "Night Theme" which has an altogether different atmosphere. T

That last statement can really sum up A Great River, because speaking only for myself, this album has a certain something to it that I haven't quite felt from music in the past. An intriguing blend of somber Americana, spaced out Psychadelica, and a very real, and very potent, sense of ancient mysticism that seems to rise like mist from an untouched and mysterious wilderness. A Great River has been one of the better musical experiences of 2012 for me, an album rich in memorable melodies and a thick fog of atmosphere. Nate Hall has most certainly made a musical statement that should catch a great many listener's attention. 

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