Nathan Bellows - Three
NATHAN BELLOWS RELEASES ‘THREE’
New York City-based singer-songwriter Nathan Bellows released his third record moments ago. Appropriately entitled Three, the songs on the album were composed over a three-year span of time – from when his father’s health began to fail to after his father passed away, last March, the third month of the year.
Nathan Bellows
Thus Three is a deeply personal album, probing the topics of grief and mourning. Each song is escorted by a detail of a drawing.
Nathan self-produced his two prior releases, The Old Illusions and Swan and Wolf, but not Three.
As he explains, “However, given the intimate and personal nature of Three, I knew I needed to work with a producer. So I sent 6 demos to Malcolm Burn, who has produced, recorded and collaborated with the likes of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, and many more. He enthusiastically wrote me back, and we recorded Three in his home studio in Kingston, NY this past June, in the middle of the pandemic.”
Vaguely reminiscent of Johnny Cash’s “Hurt,” the sad, aching pain radiating from this song will bring tears to your eyes.
Encompassing eight-tracks, Three begins with “In the Wool,” a title taken from the old adage “dyed in the wool.” The song revolves around the question of destiny – is who we are hardwired and immutable? Do we have a say in the person we become? Or do we turn out to be who we’re told to be?
The rhythmic roll of the tune is contagious, even though stripped down to the essentials. Nathan’s voice, redolent with passion, cuts through to the bone.
Highlights include “Split Lip,” traveling on an abrasive acoustic guitar riding a dark folk-melody. Rasping and resonant, Nathan’s intense tones convey edgy pressure. Perhaps the prettiest song on the album, “I Once Did” features an elegant yet taut piano atop a shuffling rhythm. Round and unyielding, Nathan’s voice exudes grainy textures, infusing the lyrics with sad nostalgia, narrating the changes he sees in himself.
“Move Away” offers a tender intro made up of guitar and a crying violin. Vaguely reminiscent of Johnny Cash’s “Hurt,” the sad, aching pain radiating from this song will bring tears to your eyes.
Three drips with the anguish of loss, exposing the raw, gaping emptiness left in its wake and the wrenching pull of the act of living on the soul.
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