Billboard

Scratch the surface of an artist and the emotional cracks soon begin to show. This is definitely the case with this singer/songwriter. Behind warm melodies and polished musicianship lie songs that are heartfelt, compelling and affecting.

Nat started his musical career in several bands before deciding to step out on his own, 'From being young I've never really thought that I'd end up doing anything else - the trouble is that dreams rarely marry with reality', he says honestly. 'It's only now that I say 'musician' when someone asks me what I do for a living. His apparent lack of ego is one of the most endearing things about Nat. His music is usually fairly introspective and, like most songwriters, he's inspired by the people and events around him.

'I think that writing is my coping mechanism. Whenever anything is troubling me or I'm giving something a lot of thought, then a song tends to appear about it. 'The lyrics aren't always obvious, and sometimes I don't even realise what they are about until I reflect on them later.' Lyrically Nat's songs are touching - on Words Unspoken, for example, he sounds melancholy and forlorn, every emotion is prevalent in his voice and you can almost feel what he's feeling - a potent quality. His voice is mesmerising, changing subtly throughout his songs so you can't help but listen closer. A vocal full of carefully restrained power. From the gentle finger picking of and hushed whisper of Hideaway to the more emphatic, Standing Still, with electric guitars and multi-tracked vocals, Nat's songs have the power to move you. 'The kind of songs I write start out purely acoustic, just me and the guitar, but inevitably change once other musicians get involved.'

He says that the album has turned out very differently than he first envisaged, no longer content with acoustic guitar-led songs, there's even a dash of electronica. 'My original idea was to have a fairly stripped back acoustic album, but once we started recording it felt like we'd heard it all before. So, after battling it out in the studio for six weeks, we brought in new musicians and producer Adrian Hall, who took the songs in an entirely new direction.' The new direction of the album brought the fun back into recording and that's evident in the overall feel of the album. 'The bass has got a funk lilt to it and the drums have got a kind of half beat semi hip-hop feel to them at times. Add to that the soulful Rhodes sound and we've ended up with quite a mucky mixture,' admits Nat, 'but I think it works!'

The album itself is made up of songs written over the past five years, but some have been irrevocably changed by Nat's new style. 'I'm really pleased with the mix of styles and lyrical content on the album. Essentially it's an album that tells the story so far, the songs have an autobiographical feel to them and I think a lot of people will be able to relate to what I'm saying.'

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