José González “In Our Nature” (Mute)
You know, I admit, sometimes my musical snobbery simply gets the best of me. That has been the case for José González. I can not tell you how long I ignored Mr. González simply because of that singer/songwriter tag and all the press he was getting. That specific genre is overrun and frankly I just assumed that José González was like all the rest. Wow, I could not have been more wrong. In Our Nature is González’s second album and it is a beautiful testament to his artistry.
One thing that distinguishes José González from his singer/songwriting peers is the fact that he really can play the guitar. Despite the delicate nature of most of his songs his guitar playing is full of power. In Our Nature is beautiful in its simplistic approach. Rarely do these tracks stray from focusing strictly on González’s emotional vocals and acoustic guitar. While his vocal skills might not reach the heights of the greats like Kozelek, Drake and Smith, his arrangements and skillful guitar playing allow him to sit quite comfortably next to those impressive names. So, I apologize Mr. José González. Please forgive me for I truly underestimated your talents.
Genre: Indie/Pop/Acoustic
RIYL: Nick Drake, Mark Kozelek, Elliott Smith,
Down The Line
