December 2007

Josh Nelson
Let It Go
Native Language Music

By Forrest Dylan Bryant

Josh Nelson establishes a clear identity in the six original tunes that anchor this album. Balancing tenderness with fortitude and quiet reflection with an open, gracefully uplifting quality, Nelson’s rich, inventive piano rolls and skips through vigorously flowing melodies and gently placed harmonic interactions. Saxophonist Seamus Blake catches the updraft, flying above the thumping title track and the bewitching “Introspection on 401,” while vocalist Sara Gazarek delivers an aching performance on Nelson’s “Leaving Here,” a stirring song of loss.