Independent (label)
23 August 2017 (released)
31 August 2017
At the age of 27, Eric George has the stories and cadence of a country crooner in their sixties but with the vocal strength and conviction of a young buck still well within his prime. The singer-songwriter's latest album Not About Nightingales delivers ten tracks that are folksy yet full of a certain modern poeticism. George has a manner that puts you instantly at ease, with lyrics that make the big problems seem maybe not small but containable and natural. Drawing obvious comparisons to forebears Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams, George's sound in some songs actually brings to mind the recent work of Jack White which has become increasingly based in the heart of Americana.
The delicate shimmering fingerpicking on 'I Was Trying to Describe You' reminds one of the final few tracks on Bob Dylan's vulnerable Blood On the Tracks album. He keeps a soft pulsing bass part while crescendoing with rich, flourishing lead parts echoing the vocal lines. It takes a masterful touch to maintain both of these dynamics all on one picking hand. A gorgeous cello part joins in for the chorus. Though this may not be a 'single' kind of song, it is the gem of the album.
'Thought You Had a Home' has a wavy, western guitar line punctuated with a snappy drum beat. A catchy chorus flows into a dreamy, float-into-the-clouds bridge. 'I'm Satisfied with You' plays on a subtle moving banjo and turns over on a dark guitar pull-off. The song finds itself midway between Tom Petty's Wildflowers album and Jack White's latest solo venture. 'Some Times' rounds the album nicely with a bare bones voice and ukulele lullaby. George's vocal strength is on full display with little else to distract from his versatile vocalization.
Not About Nightingales takes traditional Americana and breathes new life into it. Not through any modern tricks or bizarre fusions. Simply by virtue of his growing up in this new age with a love and appreciation for the past. The lead single and others that are of the same ilk are catchy, thoughtful and well-crafted but it's the deeper cuts, the songs highlighted above that really show off George's talent both as a musician and a writer.
