Nick Justice – Rain Dancing
This collection from the seasoned California singer-songwriter Nick Justice would appeal to fans of Gordon Lightfoot & John Denver. The song styles are nothing you haven’t heard before, but they are performed with a relaxing, good storytelling style in Nick’s warm, homegrown voice.
The 12 tales that make up Rain Dancing (Drops Feb 7/Tres Pescadores Records/42:21) were produced pristinely by Ed Tree (electric, acoustic, slide & bass/harmonium/organ/percussion). There isn’t too much of a controversial pin-prick in these folky numbers, but there are some wonderfully described lyrics in tunes such as “Need To Be Free.” Justice has a talent for descriptive lyrics in a manner that doesn’t follow any trend. He successfully blends folky elements with country traditions.
Even the more novelty-oriented songs are rendered with a tongue-in-cheek seriousness that’s charming (“Runnin’ With the Blind”). This could’ve been covered by the Grateful Dead in another time. Nick’s voice has its distinctive moments, but he’s not Fred Neil, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, or Waylon Jennings. The songs don’t pretend to be earth-shakers or ear-tuggers. Instead, he settles for the quiet smile on a listener’s lips as they peruse his melodic lines & deeply affecting words.
Nick Justice (acoustic guitar/vocals/harmonica), through his songs, explores the highs & lows of being a performing musician. An overheard conversation between four farmers, struggles of everyday life, the tough world we all navigate & the weariness in his voice bring out honesty & some authentic essentials as rain brings out worms from the soil. “Terms of My Surrender” is the lone button fastened on his long coat. Wonderful from start to finish, a signature tune & the musicians shine brightly throughout.
There’s a touch of The Texas Tornados, with Nick’s more Spanish-flavored, Tex-Mex oriented (“Juarez”). They sound genuine but a little fabricated at this point. Too many similar type songs that have unfortunately saturated the market for the genre. The singing is good; the playing is well-embodied, but it’s a little tired. Not so on tunes like “At Least Another Day,” which is an eloquent ballad & where Nick seems most comfortable. “Time Passing By” is also durable.
Nick Justice is an artist worthy of listening to because his voice & music are in the right place.
Highlights – “Bide Your Time,” “Something In the Milk Ain’t Clean,” “Need To Be Free,” “Runnin’ With the Blind,” “Rain Dancing,” “Terms of My Surrender,” “At Least Another Day,” & “Time Passing By.”
Musicians – Richard Stekol (electric & acoustic guitars/bgv), Scott Babcock (drums), David Carpenter (upright bass), Forest Miller (fiddle), Bill Knopf (banjo), Jay Dee Maness & Rick Shea (pedal steel guitar), Darice Bailey & Brad Colerick (bgv).
Color image courtesy of Nick’s website. CD @ Bandcamp & https://www.nickjusticemusic.com/ & https://trespescadores.com/
Video Premiere: https://americanahighways.org/2026/01/19/video-premiere-nick-justice-time-passing-by/