Acoustic guitars rarely have the same roar that their electric counterparts do, but in his new single “All Together,” singer/songwriter Neil Nathan manages to afford his strings the same epic presence we’d expect from an all-out rock performance. Nathan has a folkier concept in mind for this piece, which sees his voice producing a cornerstone charisma that fills the air around us with the kind of playfulness missing from pop for too many years now. He’s admittedly got a taste for old fashioned aesthetics, but this troubadour still has one of the most melodic new singles I’ve heard lately in his new song.
The lyrics to “All Together” are warm, accessible, and framed with a bit of soul that immediately lets their narrative transcend the limits of the verse and infect us with all of its elegance and affection. Even if Nathan weren’t the one singing to us, this is the kind of foundational songcraft that once made folk musicians some of the most coveted players on the western side of the Atlantic, and right now – given the ongoing Americana revival – I think it’s a particularly good time for him to be coming into the spotlight.
Watch the video for “All Together” below
These strings really are Nathan’s best friend in this performance, and I like that he doesn’t overexploit them for more than they’re worth. He’s got a full-bodied backend to this mix that makes it easy to zero in on the more frilly cosmetic details at the top of the arrangement, and where some might look at his structuring of this song as being the most deliberately retro element to behold here, it’s still a good part of the reason why I think “All Together” plays out so smoothly. It’s old school, but so much so that some of its features feel ironic and, therefore, fresh.
I’m impressed by everything I’ve listened to by Mr. Neil Nathan in his career, and this might be the most mature composition he’s penned since first coming to my attention not too long ago. “All Together” is a ballad that wants to see listeners getting closer to each other as well as the charming demeanor of its message, and with a singer like this one at the helm of the project, I think it’s going to serve its precise purpose without much of a boost from critics like myself. Nathan is a boss player, and he’s acting like he deserves a lot more love from the press than he’s received so far in this latest release.
