I guess it speaks volumes about his sonic sense of adventure, subtle and supple as it may be, that the three singles from Nathaniel Paul I have written about so far, best fit within three different genres: folk, pop, and indie. And while it is fair to say that he is hardly ripping up the rule book, not that he should, he demonstrably makes music that gently pushes his own boundaries as a songwriter. But that is how music moves forward, slowly and surefootedly — evolution over revolution every time.
“It’s All Blue” sees Nathaniel Paul in understated, folk-infused, singer-songwriter territory. It’s a vibe that has always been at the core of his music, but here he is, happy enough to strip everything else away and expose his sonic heart – honest and unadorned.
The tumbling beauty of delicately picked chords, his warm and welcoming voice, and just a touch of harmonica to change the dynamic when required – this is Dylan territory, only without the challenges often presented by his delivery and sonic personality. “It’s All Blue” has a smoothness and seductive quality that he never captured, and that isn’t to take anything away from him; people just sound different.
So, that’s a fourth genre I now need to apply to Nathaniel Paul’s work, that of the stripped-back, laid-bare singer-songwriter, and that, as I intimated at the start, is precisely what keeps artists interesting, exciting, and rewarding.
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