Ohio-based singer songwriter Nathan TR Shaw turns up the distortion on his recently released LP ‘The Kitchen’. The album follows last years debut “Time Flies When You Are Sitting Still”, and does a good job at expanding Shaw’s sonic palette, blending rock, pop, and blues elements. A musician for 25 years, Shaw continues to showcase impressive guitar skills and plays piano, drums and bass as well. Describing his process for recording ‘The Kitchen’, Nathan says, “I wanted this album to sound completely different then my first. So, most of the guitars were recorded through a Fender Mini Twin amp with 2 inch speakers for a very raw sound”. The album opener “St. Augustine” gives a nice example of Shaw’s songwriting style, starting with a wistful piano line and building into a triumphant crescendo of guitar soloing that effectively channels the famous rock theatrics of Queen.
Fast on its heels is “Septimal”, a blues-rock track built around a propulsive guitar riff. Shaw pens some interesting vocals, using a distorted falsetto to self-harmonize with himself to good ends. “Here’s to long life/ Here’s to love/ Here’s to everything”, Shaw sings, recalling a night of goodhearted fun. The song has a catchy pre-chorus and playful guitar soloing surfaces throughout.
Next up is “Down So Long”, a dirty-sounding blues stomp that does a good job evoking The Black Keys or early Queens of the Stone Age. With a raw drum beat and gritty blues soloing, the song conjures an angry vibe to perfectly match Shaw’s down-and-out vocals. “Been stuck in the same old rut”, he sings, “Can’t seem to escape/ Trouble seems to find me/ In any old place”.
“Dance Craze” switches gears yet again, with Hendrix-styled guitar lines, sunshiny power chords and a catchy chanted chorus that evokes 60’s surf rock. The instrumental “Green Eyed Woman” marks another effective foray into blues territory, but the Elmore James cover that follows, “Done Somebody Wrong”, feels a bit forced. Shaw continues to craft some interesting sonic textures on ‘Kinda Man’, mixing a fuzzy guitar riff with spaced-out multi-layered solo’s and promising to be there for his woman.
While rather short at only nine tracks, ‘The Kitchen’ is a nice effort that shows Nathan TR Shaw continuing to grow as a songwriter and displaying an impressive sonic range.
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For More Information Visit:
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http://nathantrshaw.bandcamp.com
