Scott Nolan -Vocals,Guitars,Harmonica- Joanna Miller -Vocals, Drums-Damon Mitchell -Vocals, Guitars , Harmonica - Sky Onosson - Vocals, Bass, Organ
A former
hired
gun for
such
bands
as Nathan
and the
New Meanies
deservedly
steps
into
the spotlight.
He may
be a
relative
unknown
right
now,
but
Scott
Nolan
should
soon
be recognized
as
a laid-back
master
of steady
pacing
— one
who knows
when
it’s
time
for taste
and restraint
and when
it’s
time
to take
his foot
off the
brake.
Singing
with
easygoing
nonchalance
and weary
but not
entirely
dissatisfied
vocals,
Nolan
opens
No Bourbon
and Bad
Radio
with
the driving
yet wistful
"Golden,"
pouring
out
a timeless
take
on lost
love
and regret.
It quickly
spills
over
into
the equally
melancholy
"Sad
Story/Beautiful
Song"
before
moving
into
the country-calypso
of "Daytime
Moon."
At this
point,
just
as you’ve
slotted
this
album
into
the mellow,
rainy
day category,
Nolan
jams
his foot
down
on the
accelerator
for the
gritty
telecaster
twang
of "Right
on the
Wrong
Time."
It’s
a serious
mood-swing
that
reappears
regularly
from
there
on in,
ending
the CD
with
the raucous
title
track
and leaving
the listener
with
no doubt
–
this
is not
some
sad-bastard
blues-roots-country
record,
but a
testament
to a
very
well-rounded
songwriter.
Rick
Overwater
FFWD
WEEKLY
STYLE: Rootsy ruminations on ruined romance.
SUBSTANCE:
There
are songs that are made
to be
played
on bright Sunday mornings over
brunch,
or to
be blasted out of the car on
the way
to the
beach. Those are not the sort
of songs
Scott
Nolan serves up on his latest
album
No Bourbon
and Bad Radio. Admittedly,
the singer-guitarist
with
the high-lonesome
drawl
can crank
up the amps and dish out
his share
of raw-boned
Crazy Horse roots-rock
or raucous
hillbilly
boogie. But for the
most
part,
Nolan prefers to turn down the
lights,
pour
another shot and hang out at
the smoky
end of
the bar drinking to forget.
But forgetting
the dark
beauty of his melodies,
the world-weary
sadness
of his lyrics and
the lazy,
no-frills
vibe of his songs is
easier
said
than done. Even if you might
want
to leave
them off the brunch menu.
STANDOUTS:
Daytime
Moon's Jamaican lilt and
shoo-wop
vocals
add a little Caribbean spice
to the
proceedings,
while the gnarly blues
of the
title
cut is a winking toast to a
local
watering-hole
that shall remain nameless
but rhymes
with
Hella Mista.
Darryl Sterdan
WINNIPEG
SUN
The title
song
is an
ode to
the Bella
Vista
Pizzeria,
and it’s
a boozy,
bluesy
set-closer
that
should
become
the place’s
anthem.
Fun
as it
is, that
tune
may be
the slightest
on this
album,
which
sees
Nolan
situate
his
speak/sing
drawl
amid
some
soulful,
rootsy
playing
courtesy
of Joanna
Miller,
Damon
Mitchell
and Sky
Onosson.
Sad Story/Beautiful
Song
is perhaps
his finest
effort
to date,
a lovelorn
lament
with
a deceptively
breezy
melody.
Daytime
Moon
similarly
brings
a ska/reggae
vibe
to a
song
in which
prairie
sunsets
hasten
the impending
end of
a romance.
Elsewhere,
Cold
Cold
Change
hangs
bitterness
on icy,
Chris
Isaak-like
reverb,
while
Right
on the
Wrong
Time
is a
spry,
uptempo
two-step.
Most
of these
tunes
can be
read
as sad,
but this
is far
from
a morose
record.
Like
a gnarled
old bluesman,
Nolan
finds
peace
in letting
his heart
loose
in song,
just
as he
exults
in playing
at a
neighbourhood
joint
that
feels
like
home
— even
if it
has no
bourbon
and pipes
in bad
radio.
—
John
Kendle
UPTOWN
MAGAZINE
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