
With singer-songwriters, the quality of their music, no matter what other genre they work within, in most cases depends on the idea that lies behind their music.
Austin-based artist Jeremy Nail definitely had a fully-formed idea behind his latest (fifth) album Behind the Headlights.
“This record is based on the idea of leaving. Not so much in a physical sense, but leaving behind the version of yourself that no longer serves you,” says Nail about the general idea behind this album, and possibly, what lies behind the headlights he is referring to in the title.
Listening to the album, you realize the importance of having a focused, precise idea of what you want your songs and the album to be about because that is probably the only way to come up with good music that will represent those ideas.
Of course, you also need both musical and songwriting capabilities to truly express any idea, and after five albums and working with some legendary musicians, like Alejandro Escovedo, who produced one of his earlier albums, Nail has shown that he has both capabilities and inventiveness to do exactly that.
The album itself is full of firmly focused, expressive songs that work both musically and lyrically, presenting all the best aspects of what being a singer-songwriter is all about.
