November-December, 2001
Beaver Nelson, Undisturbed
By Stever Rostkoski, No Depression

The third record by Austin's tousled scarecrow Beaver Nelson opens with "Mad River," an easygoing shuffle anchored by George Harrison-style slide guitar, courtesy of producer Scrappy Jud Newcomb. With its subtle power-pop vibe, the song sets the tone for the entire album. Imagine a stripped-down, rough-hewn version of Squeeze or Crowded House, with a touch of Marshall Crenshaw, and you'll come close to the sound of Undisturbed

The disc is filled with captivating musical and lyrical twists. Ambient guitars and keyboards shimmer throughout the melancholy "Did You Know?", while "11 Again" breathlessly rocks as Nelson longs for the return of childhood innocence, which "God gives but we gave it away." An acute longing for unrealized dreams pervades the stately, almost hymn-like "I Wanted Too Much" when Nelson's mournful voice trails off with the line, "I turned a crooked eye to fields already green." In the breezy acoustic waltz of "Where Are You?", the singer is jealous of nature itself as "the clouds are kissing the sliver moon," but he's left waiting for a distant lover.

A compact ensemble of Austin's finest, including Newcomb, Ian McLagan and Michael "Cornbread" Traylor, back Nelson and give the album a bright, loose-limbed polish. But on "Experiments In Love," it's just the singer-songwriter and his acoustic guitar. Even alone and unplugged, Nelson delivers an unforgettable lamenting chorus: "Experiments in love performed by fools/Experiments in love are mean and cruel/Experiments in love are never fun/When they're done to you." With its irresistable hooks and heart-on-the-sleeve lyrics, Undisturbed will leave few listeners unmoved.