Graham Nash - This Path Tonight

Graham Nash

This Path Tonight

(Blue Castle Records)

The first Nash solo album in a few years, with the musician and singer presenting new songs.

The gloomy monochrome sleeve art seems compounded by the start of the lead cut and title track, it’s a steady pumping frown of a song. Graham almost whispers the lyric as he tells of finding his way out of a dilemma or threatening situation. As the song pounds along, with occasional spits of fuzz guitar, the penny drops. This could be a Neil Young tune, whether Nash would concede this or not. It is a very confident and intriguing start to the collection, beyond doubt. The fade comes far too soon, as wah’d guitar starts to mumble.

A much lighter feel pervades the next tune ‘Myself At Last’, lovely acoustic guitar backdrop and another reflective lyric. It does seem that the singer is looking for answers in a new situation. To be fair, Nash has always in his music come across as feeling his way rather than ‘know-it-all’ confident. Winsome harmonica careens across soft electric piano. Redemption appears in the shape of a companion. From lost to found, as he states in the words…

‘Cracks In The City’ evokes early Al Stewart, in that the words probe the danger of decay over a pretty tune and lovely chorus. Though in Al’s hands it would have sounded a tad more sinister and maybe not had steel guitar. Again the basic theme is escape. Maybe our man was not as settled and steady in all aspects of life as he might have appeared to his followers and adherents?..’Beneath The Waves’ uses a pattering tempo with martial passages and CSN style twinkling production touches here and there. Often Nash seemed to be the McCartney in CSN, the man with the prettiest tunes and most benign demeanour and the melodic content of this record seems to support this notion. But the grittier ‘Fire Down Below’ – not the Bob Seger song, btw – whilst still couched in lyrical self-doubt, at least initially has a subtle punch that sounds really potent. I would have put a rasping horn arrangement on this one! That’s all it lacks

‘Another Broken Heart’ is another romantic song, though I am struggling to nail its message, if there is one. It certainly seems to be encouraging, in ambience. Ah well..

‘Target’ is a folky item, archery as an allegory; ‘Golden Days’ looks back, ruefully. It is heartbreaking. I doubt if I could sing this one, live. Beautiful melody. ‘Back Home’ is subtitled For Levon. As gentle as a summer breeze but overbearingly sad.

The record ends with ‘Encore’ which again asks questions about the future and the message still seems to be optimism…I hope!!

Tenderly sung, astonishingly sensitive in its delivery, this sounds truly like the record Nash HAD to make, before moving on. Some will find it edge-of-melancholy. It fits into the body of his work, of course. We don’t want him to make the same record over.

But I hope next time out – and this mainly for his sake – he sounds a little less confused and more glad to be alive, I guess we all deserve that…..