Oh Mr Nisbet Jr, where have you been hiding all of these years. New album The Gospel According to Mr Niz is one of those pieces of work that doesn’t come along all that often. And when it does, you have to hold on to it, play it until it breaks and then buy a new one.
Soulful, swinging, and deliciously devilish, Joe Nesbit Jr (JNJ)’s latest offering is a delight from start to finish. Like an old friend you haven’t seen for a long time, every track hits the listener with a combination of familiarity and freshness that hasn’t been seen in recent work this year. There is even an argument to be made that work like this hasn’t been heard in the last decade.
JNJ’s vocals are the stand out attraction of the work. Smooth, honey dripping tones lend themselves around the lyrics and give the excellently crafted words the voice that they richly deserve. Throughout the course of the album, JNJ becomes something much more than just the vocalist, he is the master storyteller that perfectly compliments the weighty subject matters of life, love and the fabric of existence.
Stand out tracks are by far the powerful, pacey ‘I, John’, a walk through mythology that borders on the biblical. ‘The Prodigal Son’, a brooding, menacing tale that draws influence on JNJ’s upbringing as a preacher’s son. And the closing track ‘Something Within’ that, by the artist’s own admission, serves as an all encompassing summary of the work as a hole.
Not all deep meaning and artistically bent, tracks like ‘Everytime I Feel The Spirit’ and ‘Build On That Shore’ are more upbeat and glorious, basking in the great Southern US traditions of exalted soul.
This particular genre of music hasn’t fared well in recent years. Indeed, the only real mention it gets will be a ham-fisted attempt on the X Factor occasionally. But with The Gospel According to Mr Niz, there is a half chance that soul music could make a comeback.
JNJ’s efforts here are more than credible and certainly worthy of the download. As 2013 draws to a close, this could just about sneak into the best album of the year category and more than hold its own.
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- Lainie & The Crows - 6 March 2015
- Rock N Roar - 8 February 2015
Spot on review, spot on album. Glasgow on Monday anyone ?