According to the Beaver Nelson webpage (www.beavernelson.com) Beaver wrote the songs on this album while painting a house in Texas. I'm pretty sure that there is no reason for me to tell you that, but I'll try to create some correlation. Beaver shows that he is clearly a talented multi-tasker. Having the ability to write an entire album while painting a house cannot be an easy task. Beaver shows more of that multi-tasking by providing not only the words for these songs but the majority of the musical arrangements too. I was slightly confused by the beginning of this album. With a name like Beaver Nelson I allowed myself to have some preconceived notions, and he did not live up to any of them for the first three songs of the album. I sat through pop music that was slightly contrived and lacking imagination. Basically music that appeals to very few (if any).
Then the fourth song came on, If You Name a Thing it Dies. Wow. "If you name a thing it dies/ No matter what you try/ If you take it in/ And make it yours/It's not what it was anymore." First lines of the song! This was a great hook and held me through the entire song. This was a beautifully scripted piece of music, and I was shocked that Beaver Nelson created it considering the first three songs of the album. PLEASE do not let the first songs of this album fool you. Beaver Nelson is incredibly talented, and he showcases that talent throughout the rest of the album. The musical styling shifts from pop to something I cannot genreize (not a real word...but it should be). The lyrics and the music begin to really take shape and tell stories. I will leave those stories up to your interpretation, but freedom seems to be a general theme throughout the songs. Humility, the sixth song on this album, shows the lyrical strength and insightful storytelling capabilities of Beaver. The last few songs are more country driven, and Beaver seems to shine with this outlet.
Beaver takes it up a notch with a truly wonderful sad bastard song, titled Nothing Seems Real. This was by far my favorite piece on the album. Haunting lyrics that follow a great rhythm and deliver with each word. Nothing was wasted here, straight music to the soul. This is a song that will be making it on mixed CD's (sorry Andy I haven't had a tape player in about 15 years) and my iPod. Take the time to download it (legally please) and enjoy. The entire song works, but the lyrics burned through me. "Why am I back here?/ Why I am I surprised?/ Just to touch something I once prized/ A growing boy and a shrinking man/ Can't hold nothing with tired hands." Please don't listen to this if you're going through a tough break-up; you'll probably cry for days.
Back to multi-tasking. Beaver Nelson has shown that he can paint houses, write, arrange, play, and sing songs. He can also create incredible pieces of music and create some songs that should have been painted over or scrapped entirely. Beaver Nelson was able to write an album that has themes throughout the songs which tie it together. I hope that he continues to find the freedom and inspiration to create full album themes. I hope that he tours and everybody reading this takes the chance to see him if possible. Mainly I hope that other singer/songwriter's listen to Beaver Nelson and take something away from his music and apply it to theirs, you know multi-task.