Nathan McEuen – My One and Only EP
Fortunately, this artist doesn’t sing with a thin tenor or falsetto so prevalent nowadays in pop music. Instead, Mr. McEuen strides confidently down an avenue of pop that’s been traveled by many before him, but not with his delicacy, range & variants. He’s an easy-listening, middle-of-the-road type who approaches his music with sincerity, with many accessible melodies.
He’s not Josh Groban, or Michael Bublé, not quite old-world pop of Bobby Rydell (great voice) or Bobby Vee, not a smoothie like Marvin Gaye, or a slick blend, generic vocalist like Lenny Welch or Ronnie Dove from the ‘60s. What does Nathan bring to the table? He loosens the knots on the many variations of balladry & Sinatra-like pop glories. He starts with “My One & Only,” “Lately,” & rocks a bit with “Up To No Good. ” He pulls it off with luxuriant style—consistently.
To introduce the unfamiliar to an artist who has been around for a while, there are only 5 songs on My One and Only EP (Drops April 18/Mesa/Bluemoon Records/16:13), with songs produced by Nathan McEuen, with varied producers.
Nathan’s title track, “My One & Only,” co-written by Chris Caswell (piano/string arrangement) was also impressively written with acclaimed singer/guitarist Mason Williams (“Classical Gas”). Nathan (guitars/vocals) entertains quite well through his vocals & though he doesn’t sing covers on this EP, he has an expressive mood that endures through each composition. Songs are shaped from an older style, but nothing’s retro about these succinct performances.
Nathan doesn’t have the range that Bobby Hatfield’s voice had (“Unchained Melody”), but Nathan has a glamour to his voice (similar to Johnny Mathis) that’s attractive. He knows what he’s doing & seldom sings what his voice isn’t designed for. He’s not Joe Cocker, Jim Morrison, or Otis Redding. He stays reliably in his lane to deliver his goods imperceptibly.
His tone is relaxing, assured & convincing. While he’s not an Americana-roots artist, he does have an American style of songcraft in his blood. His father, John McEuen, is one of the founders of the great Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The acorn doesn’t fall too far from the tree. But Nathan is his own man as an artist. These songs aren’t Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-inspired. But an LP of Nathan’s work would be well deserved.
Highlights – “My One & Only,” “Lately,” “Up To No Good,” & “Beautiful Night.”
Musicians – Jimmy Calire (piano), Steve Nelson (upright bass), Mario Calire (drums/percussion), Jesse Siebenberg (slide guitar/B-3/bass/drums/bgv/producer), Randy Tico (bass), Jonathan McEuen (guitar/bgv), John McEuen (mandolin), Phil Salazar (solo fiddle), Marcy Vaj & Pam Gates (violins), Novi Novog (viola), Vahe Hayrikyan (cello), Paul Allen (producer on “Lately”), Randall Richman & Sean Ingoldsby (producers on “Beautiful Night”).
CD cover image courtesy of Raphael Conelly. CD @ https://www.nathanmceuen.com/
