Nick Shoulders - Home on the Rage (Vinyl LP)

Details: With 'Home on the Rage,' Nick Shoulders swaps the raucous, sweat-stained Honkabilly of New Orleans for the rocky solitude of the Ozark up-country. The energy is subdued, but what the record lacks in rowdiness, it makes up for in sheer determination. Recorded during the late summer months of 2020, the album is the first solo/acoustic attempt by Nick, with limited accompaniment from 'Okay Crawdad' collaborator Grant D'Aubin appearing alongside a showcase of Nick's multi-instrumental and genre-bending original songs. Alongside the expected pained warbles and indignant yodels are songs about profound isolation, permanent disruption, and the apocalyptic anxiety that marks the album as a product of the red-state COVID-19 zeitgeist. With 'Home on the Rage,' Nick continues his dissection of American traditional music both in form and content. By drawing upon his background in old-time banjo, deep south gospel singing, blues harmonica, and proto-rock & roll one-man-bands, Nick has