Nick Tabron | Mark Erelli | JJ Slater
As a kid in Raleigh, NC, Nick Tabron raked leaves and cleaned gutters long enough to buy his first guitar, then sat down and learned the songs of his heroes, including hits by Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, and Green Day. While that is, indeed, quite a diverse selection of music to cover, it still will not prepare you for the brilliance of his latest release, “Exodus,” a song that speaks out against online bullying. To tell you the truth, Tabron had our interest from the very first hint of slide guitar, which you will immediately hear upon pressing play, but your patience shall be rewarded with one of the most tender and soulful voices that we’ve had the chance to hear in awhile. To be quite honest, we were so entranced by the raw and honest beauty of his voice, we did not even realize that this was an anti-bully track until we read the press release. The sound of his voice and all of its inflections will completely mesmerize the listener, from start to finish, and this is a song that simply must be heard by all.
Speaking of amazing voices, you really need to meet Mark Erelli, from Reading, MA. Erelli has released a total of nine solo albums, as well as three collaborative LPs, plus shared the stage with such legends as John Hiatt, Dave Alvin, and Gillian Welch. We realize that we may have raised your expectations by listing some of his accolades, but once you’ve heard this man’s voice, all will be right in the world. Erelli has come to us with his track, “You,” which is all the proof you will need to see that he has one of the loveliest storytelling tenors in the business. “You” gives the listener nothing but the truth, with Erelli relying on a single vocal track to convey every available emotion. The majority of the track also features an acoustic, with some tastefully sparse percussion, a bit of bass, and some atmosphere provided by an electric guitar. But the star here is, of course, Erelli’s vocal and we wouldn’t be surprised if you walked away from this one forever changed, and that is exactly what we look for in a song.
If vibe is what you’re looking for, look no further than JJ Slater and his new track, “Wade.” This song has so much vibe that they made JJ the mayor of vibe town. It’s an actual place. Trust us. We read it on the internet. In order to get there, all you gotta do is play this song. Drawing off of the sounds of the psychedelic, Slater and upright bassist Dan Bisson have infused this music with hints from multiple genres, including alt pop and freak folk. About the track, Slater says: “Though it has evolved into a more upbeat indie rock song on tour, this recording was spontaneously made in the studio one summer day with a few friends, with a very intentional languid approach. I wrote the lyrics just before recording the vocals, and feel it captures a spontaneous moment of creation; it also contains my favorite guitar solo I'd ever recorded.” The solo in question is slightly reminiscent of the late Jerry Garcia, with some dreamy reverb that has been very tastefully utilized. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for JJ Slater’s new EP, due out in early 2023.
-TM