Summer 2007
Beaver Nelson's Exciting Opportunity CD Review
Richard Skanse, Texas Music Magazine

"Everything feels different now/ Bright, shiny and new," sings Beaver Nelson on Exciting Opportunity's opening track, "Overnight Sensation." He's marveling at the way love only reveals its true glory long after the blush of initial attraction—an epiphany that handily sums up the rush of his sixth album in nine years. With a melodic and lyrical mettle reminiscent of a young Elvis Costello, Nelson has been one of the most distinctive voices on the Austin scene for well over a decade. But following 2004's densely poetic but uncharacteristically fussy Motion, the immediate, straight-ahead charm of Exciting Opportunity feels like a break in the clouds. Economy is the word here, with 10 of the catchiest and most profound tunes Nelson's ever penned packed into a lean and wiry 33 minutes and change. Beaver neophyte? Start here. Been onboard since his debut, The Last Hurrah. Don't be surprised if you fall in love all over again.