Nathaniel Talbot — Swamp Rose and Honeysuckle Vine

Nathaniel Talbot is clearly a man of passion and intensity. The songs on Swamp Rose and Honeysuckle Vine are vivid in imagery and lush with warm, inviting guitar wizardry. Talbot is evidently a scholar of poetry, which can be seen in his evocative imagery. Talbot’s main interests are capturing childhood innocence — such as “As the Way” and the brilliantly realized “Before There Was Blue” — and trying to understand how our capacity for wonder and joy become stripped away as we get older, a question that is answered with the rich, multi-generational saga of “Able Man.” Oh, and to top it off, Talbot works full-time on his organic farm.

Talbot’s voice reminds me of James Taylor — a curious mixture of gentleness and worldliness. But the comparison ends there. I find Taylor to be somewhat trite. Talbot, on the other hand, pushes our understanding of our selves through the intensity of his songcraft. Even the instrumental tracks are enough to make you stop what you’re doing and listen. This is an album best enjoyed during quiet moments. It’s too finely crafted to be relegated to background noise.

Nathaniel Talbot — Official, Facebook, Bandcamp