November 9, 2000
Beaver Nelson—Little Brother
Bill Ellis in Memphis

On his second indie album Little Brother (***1/2)—Austin guitarist Beaver Nelson is all tuneful attitude: simple chords, likable melodies and observant lyrics ("She was pure as sidewalk snow") that fans of both Pete Droge and Jules Shear will enjoy. In fact, Nelson's turn of phrase—especially on the songs Fever Kept Me Up All Night and My Bones Will Be The Picture Frame—make him a better candidate for alternative's poet laureate over, say, Jakob Dylan. And Nelson is not afraid of being direct on the ballad Playing For Keeps. While he's not quite Todd Snider, Nelson is nevertheless tapped into his own majic-realist muse.