Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Guy Pearce, Independent 2018.
This album is the second release from Guy Pearce and, as with his debut, it is not only remarkably good but shows a different aspect of this multi-talented individual.
The Nomad has been produced by Pearce’s old friend, acclaimed singer/songwriter/producer, Joe Henry, at United Recording in Los Angeles.
It’s a deeply personal collection of songs, all written by Pearce, each one reflecting on the dramatic changes in his life since releasing his debut album, Broken Bones, in 2014.
The Nomad sees Pearce take a different approach to recording.
Gone are the multi-layered vocals, strings, and synths of Broken Bones and instead they’ve been replaced by an exceptional collection of talented musicians and a much more organic and live feel.
The vocal treatments that I commented on in Broken Bones have also gone which may be a sign of growing confidence in his unadorned vocal abilities.
There is still the familiar intimacy and delicacy to the lyrics but this album feels even more intricate and personal than Broken Bones.
Sometimes it seems that were being privileged to read Guy’s personal diaries or that we’re listening in on private conversations.
That personal, intimate, approach extends to the involvement of his partner, and mother of his first-born son, actor Clarice van Houten singing backing vocals on two tracks.
The music is also more varied as well, involving experimental jazz elements in the track Leaving Home and even a snippet of a track that was either an unfinished or not included track titled Float Away.
All in all, the major difference I discerned between this album and his extremely good earlier effort is that this album feels more relaxed and more assured.
It’s a logical development and progression for a talented singer/songwriter and shows that Pearce is a mature musician who is taking his music as seriously as his stellar acting career.
When reviewing Broken Bones, I commented that artists are often talented in more than one discipline.
The fact that it’s taken Pearce so long to show us this side of his multi-faceted abilities means that we’re witnessing an artist with much more depth than most of his contemporaries’ first efforts.
