Neilson
Hubbard - Sing Into Me
Ahhh, beauty and atmosphere to spare from beneath the big night
sky...
Neilson Hubbard examines the power of love and devotion on his third album highlighted
by his pure, inimitable vocals that are as expressive and individual as any you'll
ever come across. A more intimate, reflective outing for Neilson this time out,
including a cover of "Jesus" by The Velvet Underground. Produced by Neilson and
his former This Living Hand bandmate and longtime friend Clay Jones with many
guest performers including guitarist Steve Mason (Jars Of Clay), percussionist
Craig Krampf (who has played for Doug Powell, Will Kimbrough, Dwight Twilley,
Josh Rouse, Son Volt, Garrison Starr, Townes Van Zandt), cellist David Henry
(Kasey Chambers, Cowboy Junkies, Robbie Fulks, Joe Henry, Will Kimbrough, David
Poe, Josh Rouse, Swan Dive, Yo La Tengo), and vibraphonist Bruce Golden (The
Windbreakers).
Great music and emotion that's organic and warm, heartfelt and true. Highly recommended
to everyone, but especially those of you with a soft spot for The Jayhawks and
Pernice Brothers.
===========
"A wondrous album that deserves as much attention as possible." - Bucketfull
Of Brains
===========
"This is a record I've wanted to make for a long time," Neilson Hubbard says,
contemplating his third solo album Sing Into Me. "I feel like it's the most personal
record I've ever made. I wanted to explore the personal and intimate side of
faith. I wanted to show that sometimes Hallelujah is not always pretty. Much
like the Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah," about king David and his struggles
sometimes, 'it's a cold and broken Hallelujah.' I wanted to show that even in
those human and dark moments there is still hope."
A native of the Mississippi Delta and the so-called "Bible Belt," Hubbard knows
well the permeating influence of faith and that its most important aspects (grace,
love, forgiveness, humility) are often lost in the spurious rulebooks of "religion."
Hubbard's unflinching exploration of the workings of longing, faith and self
is expressed here in nine spare but glimmering tracks. Sing Into Me is intimate,
yet accessible. It's spiritual, yet worldly. It tackles complex matters in the
plainest of language.
In the vein of his peers like Pedro the Lion and Damien Jurado, Hubbard examines
the relationship between faith and daily life in terms that avoid dogma and supersede
religious propaganda. Instead, Hubbard turns the mirror inward and questions
himself - his fears and hopes. These are primarily songs about relationships.
Whether they're heard as songs about God and humanity or about the machinations
of love, they are about the give-and-take of personal communion.
Hubbard's writing, which touches on the unabashed emotion and straightforward
language of songwriters like Cohen, is remarkable. Calling to mind modern day
tunesmiths Elliott Smith, Hayden and Mark Kozelek, Hubbard's songs aren't afraid
to look into the dark, even if they only find themselves looking back.
From his earliest outings with his Galaxie 500-influenced band this living hand
to the infectious power pop of The Slide Project (1997) through the murky, evocative
neo-Southern Gothic sound of Why Men Fail (2001) to the hypnotic beauty of Sing
Into Me, Hubbard has proven his range and dexterity as a songwriter. Its a gift
that has brought him recognition beyond his own work and led to collaborations
with other writers like Cindy Wilson (B-52's), Kristen Hall, Garrison Starr,
and David Mead. His songs have also found their way onto many TV programs, independent
films and documentaries; a testament to his wide-ranging appeal.
Sing Into Me is a balm for sleepless nights and a companion for lonely travels,
but it's also just a damn good record and features phenomenal playing, singing
and writing that anyone can appreciate, identify with and love.
=====================
"Though his roots are in Mississippi, Neilson Hubbard's musical heart occupies
a place of pure pop- a realm where melody, hooks and harmonies converge in a
spirit of yearning and state of grace. For those of us who love this sort of
stuff, stumbling upon Hubbard's underheralded solo debut, 1997's The Slide Project,
was like finding a long-lost Big Star album. Where his 2000 follow-up Why Men
Fail was darker and more meditative, with a tinge of Anglophilia in Hubbard's
Bowiesque quaver, Sing Into Me strips his songcraft to its luminous core. There's
hardly a wasted syllable amid this short, spare collection of nine tracks, with
the music as soothing as a lullaby while the lyrics evoke the plain-spoken sincerity
of prayer. Most of the arrangements are built on Hubbard's acoustic guitar, the
stately piano and wispy harmonies of Cathy Horne, the bittersweet strains of
David Henry's cello, and the almost subliminal pulse of Craig Krampf's percussion.
While the Beatlesque buoyancy of "Everything's Starting" could have fit just
fine on The Slide Project, the baroque delicacy of the title track and the spiritual
ache of the album-opening "Stars" make the artistry seem as intimate as a heartbeat.
The cover of the Velvet Underground's "Jesus" fails to improve on the weary perfection
of the original, but it reinforces the redemptive quality that has taken Hubbard's
music well beyond power-pop revivalism." - No Depression
"And Mr. Neilson Hubbard. What can I say, I love him. Did he find Jesus? Well
so did Chris Bell. But don't expect Hubbard to meet you at the stadium with some
rock. His beautiful voice and heartfelt ballads will leave you weeping where
you stand." Edward Burch, Champaign-Urbana's The Paper
"From Garrison Starr to Easley-McCain Recording Studio, this Mid-Southerner has
plenty of Memphis connections. But on his third solo album, Neilson Hubbard doesn't
stray far from his Mississippi roots. Recorded at various Oxford locales and
mixed at Sweet Tea Studio, Sing Into Me neatly bridges the gap between the almost
giddy pop of The Slide Project and the downward-spiraling despair of Why Men
Fail.
From the opening "Stars" on through to the closing "Praise to You," Hubbard focuses
on a higher power on these softly lilting tracks, with even Lou Reed's "Jesus" getting
a gentle reading here. It's as if Hubbard used the late Chris Bell's "There Was
a Light" as a jumping-off point. On tracks like "Everything's Starting," he channels
the Big Star guitarist's wistful poignancy without a single misstep. Religious
subject matter seems to be a dividing line for all music fans, and Hubbard's
unwavering faith might be a turnoff for his usual barroom crowd. But Hubbard
makes it clear that faith is a personal choice, and with such lyrics as "Angels
sing perfect melody/Heavens fall down at your feet/Praise to you for this night," most
of these tracks could be translated as love songs. Intimate and unflinching,
Sing into Me shines like the evening stars in his songs." - Memphis Flyer
======================
Originally from Jackson, Neilson Hubbard moved to Oxford to attend Ole Miss in
1991. He soon formed the band Spoon with his high school friend Clay Jones. With
a line-up consisting of only acoustic and electric guitars and violin, Hubbard
admits his first band's quiet, brooding sound wasn't a top draw on the club circuit.
However, the band's self-produced debut album Consolation Prize caught the interest
of the Counting Crows' Adam Durtz, who re-released the album on his short-lived
E Pluribus Unum label. By the time Consolation Prize made its official debut
the band had changed their name to This Living Hand and Hubbard had begun to
work on a series of songs that were more upbeat, with more of a rock edge. His
first solo album The Slide Project featured this driving, power-pop sound. With
his songwriting drawing comparisons to great pop-rockers like Big Star and Matthew
Sweet, Hubbard's music was finding a growing following. Unfortunately, by the
time Hubbard was ready to release his follow-up Why Men Fail, the E Pluribus
Unum label disappeared in a corporate merger.
Hubbard's music soon found a home at the Illinois-based independent Parasol Records.
On his second album Why Men Fail, Hubbard and his longtime collaborator Jones
began to return to subdued sounds of This Living Hand. "I kind of look at it
as a circle," said Hubbard. "Kind of a nice little short story where the character
has made the full circle. But, it's changed in the sense that the things we were
doing in This Living hand were so depressing. Now, I hope I've learned to tell
a story without being quite so down. There's a light at the end of the tunnel."
With Hubbard's latest record Sing Into Me, he continues to develop a more open,
minimal sound. Whereas in the past Hubbard would write on acoustic guitar before
introducing his songs to an electric band to flesh out fuller arrangements, on
Sing Into Me he presents the songs in more stripped-down versions. "I've been
really intrigued by the Van Morrison record Veedon Fleece," said Hubbard. "It's
obvious he went in with an acoustic guitar and had the band play later. I think
Chilton did similar things with Big Star 3rd. The bulk of this record was done
very sparsely. I just sat down with a guitar and we tried to see what we would
get away with not putting on there."
From the first song, Hubbard draws the listener in with his understated execution. "Stars" features
Hubbard giving a subdued vocal performance over fragile guitar and piano arpeggios,
while on "Say You Love Me" cello mixes with high harmonies to add a moody touch.
On "Nothing Without You," Hubbard croons over the stark backing of piano and
lazy electric guitar breaks.
Sing Into Me finds Hubbard taking more control of the recording process, opting
to record in makeshift studios and do most of the production himself. Hubbard
recorded many of the songs in his church in Jackson and turned to Jones' home
studio for the rest of the material. On the songs Jones produced like "Ready
for You" and "Jesus" (a cover of Lou Reed's song from the Velvet Underground's
self titled third album), drum machines take a more prominent place, but still
keep a subdued mood, toned down by washes of mellotron.
Sing Into Me also shows Hubbard's song writing developing thematically. With
all the songs written in a short period after the release of Why Men Fail, the
new record was conceived as an exploration of the spirituality that was only
suggested on Hubbard's earlier recordings. Hubbard succeeded in writing songs
that can be heard simultaneously referring to faith and to personal relationships.
These dual meanings are reinforced through the constant balancing of the organic
sounds of synthesizers. Even songs like "Everything's Starting" and "You'll Be
There," where Hubbard returns to Big Star-inspired pop, contain uplifting refrains
like "in everything there is glory." "It's a record about my personal faith,
but I'm not trying to be too heavy handed," said Hubbard. "I wanted to write
something that was hopeful, something about love and hope. I think it's nice
for people to be able to hear something positive, especially right now." - Oxford
Town
=========================
"If you didn't arrive early for the Parasol showcase a couple weeks ago, then
you missed one of the finest singer-songwriters practicing the craft.
Neilson Hubbard's latest album, Sing Into Me, is a mesmerizing, understated work
of pop beauty. It is also an intimate exploration into the complexities of faith. "Stars," the
album's opener, a stunning reworking of an old country-gospel hymn, sits comfortably
on a record including a well-executed cover of the Velvet Underground's "Jesus." What
is perhaps most captivating about Neilson's work this time out is the way he
delicately weaves examinations of the darker questions of relationships into
these beautiful songs.
The nine songs which comprise Sing Into Me are ultimately about relationships
of all sorts, not simply with God or some higher being or motivating force. Remember
when Chris Bell found God with I Am The Cosmos? Just as Bell's "Look Up" harkened
to the sky and the light as welcoming sites of reassurance, so Hubbard peers
into internal, intangible spaces on "Nothing Without You" as he strains to proclaim: "If
I loved the most beautiful face the world has been graced / If I touched the
most beautiful place you could lift the world's weight /I am nothing without
you."
The fact that Hubbard might be singing about myriad dimensions of faith, and
yet it never feels like he is slamming dogma down your throat is testament (pardon
the pun) to his unique skill as a songwriter." - Edward Burch, Champaign-Urbana's
The Paper
=====================
http://www.neilsonhubbard.com
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