{"id":33107,"date":"2022-11-02T15:32:06","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T22:32:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/?p=33107"},"modified":"2022-11-03T22:32:59","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T05:32:59","slug":"nathan-james-i-may-crawl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/nathan-james-i-may-crawl\/","title":{"rendered":"Nathan James – I May Crawl"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nathan James is a work-aholic! Yeah for us! His latest release is entitled \u2018I May Crawl\u2019 and it is everything you\u2019d expect from the San Diego musician. Eleven original songs; some reflective, all meaningful, but always looking at life through an open and more positive lens. His style of play is so eclectic, incorporating blues with a cadenced funk, an acoustic flair or a dreamy slide. James plays all the instrumentation, guitars, percussive footboards, washboard, kazoo, harmonicas and he does it \u2018all at once!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nathan James album cover for I May Crawl. Photograph courtesy of Nathan James.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The title track, \u2018I May Crawl\u2019 is a driving and rhythmic, up-tempo shout out about keepin\u2019 your head above water. You don\u2019t have to be the winner, just be persistent, keep paddling and do it at your own pace. \u2018Better Left Unsaid\u2019 is all about the ebb and flow of the guitar. The sliding treble and countering bass notes\u2026throw in some harp and who needs words?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the liner notes, Nathan reflects on his mentor and band mate for almost a quarter of a century, James Harman. Life lessons in real time and the experiences of traveling the world with the legendary bluesman can be heard throughout this recording. \u2018Before the Curtain Closes\u2019 and \u2018Life Changing Blues\u2019 certainly have that familial feel. The track \u2018Price To Pay\u2019 lays it out in no uncertain terms, everything comes at a cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Moth To A Flame\u2019 is a good old-fashioned love song. Whatever it is that you\u2019ve got, I need. \u2018I\u2019ll Never Listen To You\u2019 is also about love, but mostly the failure to communicate. The menacing guitar work just intensifies the pain of loss. \u2018Does It Matter Where You Stand\u2019 is a look inside. And if you aren\u2019t aware, the world is pretty messed up place right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cover for Natural Born That Way. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Draggin\u2019 Me Down\u2019 is the natural reaction to the previous comment and as the song says, \u2018get some rest.\u2019 \u2018Nate on the Mountain\u2019 is a wonderfully upbeat look at a new homestead on the hill. What\u2019s not to love about a place with a view? Think of it as ridgeline Americana. The CD concludes with \u2018Tryin\u2019 To Breath.\u2019 A semi-sweet ballad about all your senses and that special someone \u2018who opened my eyes to see.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The musical tempo of this recording and the songwriting go hand-in-hand. Nathan James is at his best here, and his musical craftsmanship is first-rate. I know that Nathan is in Europe as I write this and his international audience is getting a first listen to \u2018I May Crawl.\u2019 But you can check out www.NATHANDJAMES.com<\/a> for upcoming shows right here in Southern California. You never know when you\u2019ll experience some of those Life Changing Blues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n