Stranger In My Town
Self-Released, 2023
9/10
Formerly of the duo The Sidemen with Feter Martin Homer, the songwriter Nick Justice brings along some excellent company for these very genuine 10 tracks.
“Stranger In My Town” opens the listen with Justice’s warm vocals and cozy guitar alongside Mai Leisz’s playful bass lines that populate the gentle rootsy climate, and “Let The Wind Blow” follows with Greg Leisz’s moody pedal steel complementing Justice’s eloquent storytelling.
At the midpoint, “Don’t Walk Away” makes for a playful, retro energy via Richard Stekol’s acoustic guitar, while “Thanks For The Smiles” finds a more intimate place to reside thanks to Joel Rafael’s poetic acoustic guitar and well timed harmonica that suits Justice’s reflective tone.
“Dream #9” and “America Walking By” exit the listen, where the former benefits from harmonic backing vocals and emotive harmonica, and the latter pairs Stekol’s folk friendly guitar and Justice’s descriptive wordplay with gospel nods.
It’s not hard to believe that Justice has spent plenty of time listening to Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams and more modern artists like Peter Case, and he turns those influences into a heartfelt and instantly absorbing listen.
Travels well with: Parker Ferrell- Love Runs Through; Ben Bostick- The Rascal Is Back