Israel Nash (from the album Ozarker

Israel Nash (from the album Ozarker

Israel Nash (from the album Ozarker available on Soundly Music) (by Lee Zimmerman)

Born and bred in Missouri before relocating to the hill country of Texas, Israel Nash creates a sound akin to any number of heartland heroes — Springsteen, Seger, Petty, and Mellencamp in particular. But rather than simply spew a series of angst-intensive outpours, he delivers songs fueled from his own personal perspective, while focusing on family, ancestry, and everyday individuals whose quest to find fulfillment often amounts to little more than a desire to thrive or simply survive. The revolve around the things that give most people a common quest — that is, to find purpose and meaning in lives well-led.
 
The result is a series of songs fueled by exacting emotions, a combination of passion and persistence that rings and resonates throughout. There’s nothing that’s artificially induced; rather the music rings and resonates with honesty and insight. It’s a rush of pure Roots Rock revelation throughout, flush with turgid tales about real life people caught up in a sometimes-brutal cycle of hardship and happenstance that demands courage and conviction simply in order to persevere.
 
As a result, Ozarker becomes a singular statement having to so with drive, resolve, and sheer determination. Opening track “Can’t Stop” sets the tone simply by fulfilling all its title implies. “Roman Candle” also conveys a similarly assertive stance. The emotive title track — a narrative that shares the story of Nash’s great grandfather, a migrant worker who fell in love with an orchard owner’s daughter — adds its own emotional imprint courtesy of a steadily surging refrain.

The drama builds as the album rolls on. The resounding “Going Back”, an emotive “Pieces”, the yearning and desire embedded in the tellingly-titled “Lost In America”, and the compelling chorus of “Shadowland” lend the album an anthemic quality that’s both driving and decisive. Nash underscores each entry with expressive arrangements and emphatic instrumental embellishment that bring each song to its fullest fruition.

Israel Nash has made an album that clearly takes him to a higher plateau, one that singles him out as an artist that possesses both instinct and intellect. It’s a rare combination, but one that certainly serves him well. (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of Israel Nash from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the Israel Nash website