From a title subtle in phrase and a cover depicting a rather tattered image of his nation's flag you can deduce that Nathan Bell is rather miffed with some element of the status quo. So how do creatives set about inspiring change, voicing concern or just venting a spleen by throwing a small pebble in a large pond. The answer lies in mining a deep inner seam of literary expression, excavating a power to fuse folk 'n' blues and calling on a few colleagues to chip in along the way. The result is the provocative RED, WHITE AND AMERICAN BLUES (IT COULDN'T HAPPEN HERE) and the reception begins with an awe before grasping the magnitude of what has been produced.
You have a preconception of some artists of a folk persuasion being content with guitar and words to fire volleys into the air, but Nathan Bell takes the raw template of his songs and spins them into quite a sophisticated state of affair. This moves an album to centre stage in the home where its listening pleasure can spread from the message in the lyrics to admiration in how an appealing and enthralling soundtrack has been created. Of course when taken on the road you would expect the raw state to resume, but it is good to track creative flexibility.
On the thirteen tracks to fill this latest in a long line of releases from Tennessee based Bell, a trio of familiar names frequently get the vocal featuring credit in Patty Griffin, Regina McCrary and Aubrie Sellers. This added dimension expands a record from a base of Bell's fiery disposition that does temper into some controlled resolve as he pontificates as much as raising ire in a mildish state of protest. The other dimension is a blues-infused array of instrumentation including a keys element that injects a dose of variety into the soundscape.
Like the rest of the world, this album is little behind schedule and from a dive into some of the song details the writing origin ranges from 2019 when the studio was accessed to a couple from nearly a decade ago. Essentially, some songs are timeless and as a bunch the ones picked here fit the narrative Bell wants to portray. This appears to be a random stride across a land beset with issues and observations demanding an airing, all ripe for content and comment from a poetic point of origin.
The themes start off explicit in 'Angola Prison' and 'American Gun' before a whole host of personal tributes kick in ranging from the macro of blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins in 'American Blues' to the micro of Bell's own father in 'A Lucky Man'. The latter is a seriously strong pull after a considerable number of listens sizing up the status of this album. 'Running on a Razor' is another to lodge in the brain in the latter stages for a number of reasons easily deduced from listening, while the funkiness of 'Monday Monday' is a whole hearted energiser and beneficiary of the impressive production applied.
The musings, inspirations and topics get a little deep, exemplified by 'Zensuit's Samadhi Blues', as the album effortlessly slips through a lightened path where you feel darkness is round the corner but shafts of brightness mainly powered by Bell's positive delivery keep it at bay. This is an album of hope and the cathartic experience of confronting ills by carving out a response in the beauty of words, music and the ultimate remedy of a well constructed passionately sung song.
There is a stream of positive acclaim for the work of Nathan Bell, both in the States and in Europe. RED, WHITE AND AMERICAN BLUES (IT COULDN'T HAPPEN HERE) may or not be your hopping on point, but it's worth the ride. Seasoned admirers have a confirmation etched in the grooves of the new record. Novices have a factory quality sample with the choice of sticking at the top or twisting to further discover what he's done in the past or likely to do in the future.