Description
Steve and Kristi Nebel with Gen Obata. NW Americana. This project features tight three-part vocal harmonies and well-crafted instrumental work on guitar, mandolin, and bass. The songs are a collaborative collection penned by Gen Obata and Steve Nebel.
1. Grandma’s Always Online
2. Big Sky Blues
3. We’re Comin’ In
4. Blue Ridge Lonesome Pine
5. Jesse
6. Plastic Heart
7. Doublewide
8. Don’t Touch This Old Guitar
9. Sunny Day
10. Hard Times
11. River Rising
SteveKristi –
Steve & Kristi Nebel in Cosmo’s Dream:
Big Sky Blues CD ICBD 1501 Icebird
P.O. Box 5764
Tacoma, WA 98415
cosmosdream.sknebel.com
The duo of Steve & Kristi Nebel has been performing in the Northwest, Alaska, and Great Britain for decades. Their mix of folk, originals, swing, humor, and protest/causes songs is well known and documented on a host of recordings. They were comfortable in their own skins and as a couple were able to achieve a niche for themselves over several decades. A couple of years ago they met Gen Obata, another Tacoma musician and songwriter who also plays guitar and mandolin. They jammed together and a year ago formally formed Cosmo’s Dream as a trio. There was obviously some chemistry working, and after six months they were in the studio and now have their first recording as Cosmo’s Dream. Obata adds an upper middle range vocal, a smooth, clean lead guitar, and solid mandolin chops, and a big bag of his own songs. As you will hear, they work well together. I have seen them three times in person, and they have grown and tightened the sound, and it deserved to get recorded. They open with Obata’s upbeat, humorous look at today’s technology in “Grandma’s Always Online”. Kristi’s vocal bites on the verse, and the bluegrass harmonies are perky and full of life. Obata’s guitar break is smooth, and the mandolin break is sharp and clear. Obata’s “Big Sky Blues” is a traveling song mixing a touch of western swing and a lazy western Obata vocal which, here, is in a kind of lazy Willie Nelson mood. The harmonies, holds, and clean guitar touches make this a relaxed delight. Steve Nebel’s “We’re Comin’ In” is a celebration of coming in off the sea and has Steve on lead vocal and solid guitar leads by Obata. This is a joyful contemporary song that would be great for traditional folk musicians to pick up a joyful celebration in music. Next, Obata opens with bluegrass guitar licks on the almost talking blues with a look at the modern changes to historic landscapes occurring everywhere. He takes us on a train ride to Carolina from Arkansas, and where his old cabin and hunting grounds used to be, there is now “The Blue Ridge Lonesome Pine Back Home Foggy Mountain Megamall”.
This is a superb song for any bluegrass band. Obata’s vocal and guitar push this focus on modern life. Steve Nebel’s “Jesse” is a plaintive look at loss of love, and the distance in that loss. Kristi Nebel has the lead vocal with harmony by the men. Obata’s mandolin gives spark to the mid tempo song of loss. The song of loss of love and the sparsely used soft harmonies are arranged thoughtfully. Steve Nebel’s “Doublewide” is a harsh look at single life and the cold choices of a tough life. Steve’s vocals are rougher, and edgy folk and they fit perfectly for this tough, meaty song. Obata’s “Don’t You Touch This Old Guitar” is the marriage of player and his instrument in the most emphatic way. The guitar wins over money, car, and gal friend so that he can sing and play more songs. This is taken in upbeat bluegrass style with Obata’s guitar taking high-speed lead and the breaks, another song for bluegrass groups. “Sunny Day” by Steve Nebel has sprightly mandolin loping along to drive Kristi Nebel’s vocal. This is a sort of Latin-pop beach song mood. Interesting progressions and approach. Obata takes another bouncy mandolin break. Fun Song. Stephen Foster’s “Hard Times” has Kristi Nebel on lead vocal with clean, crisp mandolin leading the song. This is a strong three-part vocal and harmony. Solid push and drive with clean vocals carrying the day. The song begs a bit of low-end harmony, and I would bet a nickel that Steve Nebel will start developing and using his lower baritone/bass vocal for some of the harmonies. Steve penned “River Rising’ way back in the late 70s. Again, harmonies open and carry the song in a snappy movement. Kristi Nebel brings the lead vocal, clear and sailing. The theme of pack up and move out is the label of the day as floods take out folks’ homes, railroad lines here in the Northwest and all over the country. Solid CD and representation of Cosmo’s Dream going into 2016. They took this new CD to International Folk Alliance in February in Kansas City as we went to press, and they will take it and the new trio to Great Britain later this year. The recording is simple, direct and clean. The instruments have decent distinction. The packaging is a four panel fold over with slots on each internal side to slip in the CD on one side and the lyric sheet on the other Tune list and length of each song are on both the CD jacket and CD itself, as are all we site, email, and mailing contacts. Binding has data for shelf retrieval. Very enjoyable.
Chris Lunn, Ancient Victories