JM Stevens
Nowhere To Land
Crosstie Records
Dusty and Occasionally Ambient Americana and Alt. Country Drenched Modern Country
Austin, Texas-based JM Stevens’ second album, Nowhere to Land, is not as raucous as his debut of 2019, Invisible Lines, but is still full of the same solid songwriting, with a clean, modern production, and Stevens voice up front. Stevens has a clear bright voice destined for country pop, and it shines on these ten tunes.
Modern Country has learned much from Americana/Alt-Country over the years and 25 years ago Modern Country was trying to sound more like an arena rock band, but nowadays they’ve added touches of slide guitar, obligatory Hammond B3, and traded in the four-to-the-floor Rock drums for something a little more dusty and ambient.
Add a touch of psychedelic ambience to that with Stevens’ song “Dry Creek” which reels you in with acoustic guitars picking out a bluesy walk-down, a swirling organ bubbling through the undercurrents of the song, and a world-weary vocal.
“Cherry Sunburst” is a Country Pop tune extolling the virtues of the perfect guitar, under the guise of a love song.
Are guitars better than relationships?
There is definitely an argument to be had there.
The title track, “Nowhere to Land” finds Stevens contemplating an unexamined life:
“It’s hard to find the words to say,
So I’m gonna do less looking
And more listening today”
The guitars seemingly giving the impression of a man walking back to when life was good.
It’s not everybody who can write with such positivity and make it genuine, but Stevens has a way of crafting his songs in such a way that they don’t patronize.
There’s a satisfying dobro on “After the Storm” that weaves around the vocals, while Stevens sings about starting over and creating hope. I’m wondering if this one was crafted during the pandemic with it’s imagery of empty places and loneliness.
“Cobwebs” is a broken romance song, Stevens attempting to figure out how to fix a busted relationship, then “Too Fast for Me” ends the album in a reflective mode, another failed relationship song—what is it with songwriters and bad romance? But Stevens keeps it hopeful, which seems to be his lynchpin.
“Yes, I messed up, but I’m hopeful for change,”
is what he seems to be seeing in these songs and that’s a worthy sentiment right there.
Stevens also runs a recording studio in Austin, Texas and has done an admirable job of producing this album, filling it with dreamy keyboards, lush guitars, crisp drums, none of which get in the way of Stevens lyrics.
I would have appreciated a bit more of the psychedelia like on the first track, “Dry Creek” but this is a great collection of songs, either way.
Released 12th April 2024
Review by Bass player extraordinaire Roy Peak
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https://eastaustinrecording.com/
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