JUSTIN NOZUKA"HOLLY"
(Coalition, 2007)
"Be Back Soon"
I'm happy to have found out the other day that Tyler Hilton is finally getting ready to put out his next album, 'cause I've been waiting for what seems like an eternity. I've been hoping that Kyle Riabko would put out another full-length CD, but he's apparently been busy doing other stuff, such as Broadway. But now, thanks to newcomer Justin Nozuka, that void has been filled quite nicely.
The son of a Japanese father and the nephew of actress Kyra Sedgwick, Justin Nozuka has the same prodigious guitar savvy, songwriting talent, and deliciously soulful voice that made Kyle Riabko so striking. (And, by interesting coincidence, they both grew up in Canada ... a characteristic that a lot of good musicians I've found seem to share.)
Some tracks on this album are stripped-down, intimate acoustic recordings, and some are with a full plugged-in band, but they all show off his skill without any glossy over-production taking away from it. There's first-rate blues ("Mr. Therapy Man"), breezy and uplifting pop ("I'm In Peace"), cool folk-rock ("Golden Train"), and a whole lot more. Part of me hopes that Justin gets snatched up by a major label so he can get the nationwide exposure that he deserves -- but the rest of me hopes that doesn't happen, because it could only water down the richness of his talent.
Justin Nozuka deserves a Juno!
ReplyDeleteHe was born in New York, but was raised in Toronto. It's only now his album is out on my side of the lake.