Israel Nash – Lifted (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 45:23 minutes | 519 MB | Genre: Alt-Country, Folk, Singer-Songwriter
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © LOOSE
Texas’ genre-bending rock ‘n’ roller Israel Nash presents his latest long play, Lifted. It is a modern day hippie-spiritual, a tonic for those needing to put aside the mess of the daily grind. With luscious beds of strings, horns and well adorned towering walls of sound, Lifted finds Nash continuing his tradition of creating a sonic experience of feeling that is at once both vast and intimate soaring and untamed at times, placid and sincerely personal at others.
There’s something somewhat cosmic about Israel Nash. With his voice, flying away in echoes, and the subtle distortions of his compositions: everything is soft, simple, airy. But if you take a closer look, each note has its own specific role to play to create such harmony. Nash is well seasoned. For this Texan spiritual hippie, music represents an emotional escape where all experiences are possible. With Lifted, he penned a fifth multi-shade album, filled with inspirations and stories. He is accompanied by his long-time band: Joey and Aaron McClellan on the guitar and bass, Eric Swanson on the steel, and Josh Gleishmann on the drums. He added strings and brass to this ensemble to inject rounder sounds, intelligently filling out the ensemble. In this album co-produced by Ted Young, who most notably worked with the Rolling Stones, quality is in no way set aside. But for Nash, Lifted is also a musical experimentation. It drew inspiration from John Cage’s composition methods and the I Ching Book of Changes to create a sound image. Lifted is a listening experience that dives into the poetic and wild world of its author. Wild, or rather rustic, as it was recorded in his own ranch of Dripping Springs, Texas. An important place for country music as for a few years, it has been the home of the Dripping Springs Reunion festival run by Willie Nelson. A groovy sound, a perfect blend of Americana, psychedelic country and lyrical harmonics, Lifted is a subtle mix between the Beach Boys and a hippie version of the Byrds. Twelve tracks that reflect a specific temporality, like on Sweet Springs. Floating sensations during a colourful spring. Israel Nash simply creates a dream. There is neither logic nor reality. At the same time solar and lunar on the rock ballad Northwest Stars, the Texan singer effortlessly enchants the listener. – Clara Bismuth
Tracklist:
1. Israel Nash – Rolling On (Intro) (01:05)
2. Israel Nash – Rolling On (04:33)
3. Israel Nash – Looking Glass (05:11)
4. Israel Nash – Lucky Ones (03:55)
5. Israel Nash – Sweet Springs (Intro) (00:23)
6. Israel Nash – Sweet Springs (03:52)
7. Israel Nash – Spiritfalls (04:25)
8. Israel Nash – Northwest Stars (Out Of Tacoma) (04:17)
9. Israel Nash – Hillsides (04:53)
10. Israel Nash – The Widow (04:16)
11. Israel Nash – Strong Was The Night (04:53)
12. Israel Nash – Golden Fleeces (03:33)
