December, 1998
The Last Hurrah Review
Dave Purcell, Miles Of Music

The more you listen to and write about music, the harder it is to be blown away by a new artist. You've heard everything twice and your buddy thinks you're a grump because you think that new band he's raving about sounds just like the Replacements. When someone new does come along to take you by surprise, though, the payoff tends to be that much richer -- your world is shaken, you remember why you came to need music the way you need the very blood that runs through your veins and you play the record every day until even your dog is sick of it.

The Last Hurrah, Beaver Nelson's debut, is one of those moments. It was loosely described to me as "a more rocking Townes Van Zandt," and while that isn't wrong, it's so much more than that. Nelson calls to mind a less bluesy Lucinda Williams. Similar are the loose, shambling rhythms; the stripped-down, guitar-driven sound; and a vocal style that wanders in and around the beat to great effect. But Nelson is a more dense lyricist than Lucinda, calling to mind Dylan and, yes, Townes, whom the 27-year-old Austin-ite admits as an influence.

The scraggily Nelson was discovered seven years ago, had two major label deals fall through and saw his former rhythm section sell a zillion records as members of Fastball. Finally, his time has come with this debut, released by Freedom Records, who wow'ed us last year with Jon Dee Graham's Escape from Monster Island. The result is certainly worth the wait. Strongly recommended for fans of Lucinda, early Stones or the more straightforward moments on Wilco's A.M..