Nell & Jim Band - Steel
Northern California’s Nell & Jim Band will drop a new 12-track album on February 15. The title of the album is Steel, and pays tribute to the band’s roots and support of the Music Home Project and the Whippoorwill Arts Awards. Rawckus Magazine offers an exclusive look at the music video for the album's title track.
Nell & Jim - Photo Credit: Jay Blakesburg
The band started when Jim Nunally co-produced an album by Nell Robinson, followed by the two recording House & Garden (2013). The duo became a quintet when Jim Kerwin, Jon Arkin, and Rob Reich were added to the lineup. In 2015, the band dropped Baby Let’s Take The Long Way Home, touring in support of the album, while simultaneously working on new material for Steel.
Nunally explains the album’s title, saying, “It’s a story about a time in my life. Like so many musicians I had a day job - and mine was welding on oil rigs and bridges, working with my hands, welding - but I played my guitar at night at gigs and bars, before I gained success and could dedicate my life to music."
An old Doc Watson song, “Shady Grove” is an old friend to Nunally, who played it with David Grisman at performances for 16-years.
The first single, “Shady Grove/Matty Groves,” from the album hits the airwaves January 28. An old Doc Watson song, “Shady Grove” is an old friend to Nunally, who played it with David Grisman at performances for 16-years. Riding a driving groove, the tune races ahead flavored with an infectious accordion, before dropping into “Matty Groves,” featuring Robinson’s drawling tones.
Highlights on the album include: “Dime In My Pocket,” a tune delivering swampy bluegrass savors, as well as Nunally’s tight, reedy tenor. “Red Clay Creek” radiates streaming alt-country/folk hues and delicious vocal harmonies reminiscent of Joan Baez. An old-timey tune, called “Man At The Mill,” delivers beau coup twangy vocals and plonking notes from the guitars and banjo.
The album’s title track conjures up memories of Bob Dylan covering hoe-down in compact reedy timbres. Jangly guitars infuse the music with buoyant accents. Nunally goes a cappella on “Meditation Blues,” accompanied only by ticking clocks. This tune delivers the mood and feel of Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz.”
Steel offers up a tasty collection of alt-country, savors of soft rock, and Americana.
