Greatest Hits (And Near Misses)
UMe, 2022
7/10
Listen to Greatest Hits (And Near Misses)
Nelson’s heyday existed when I was in my early teens, and I wasn’t paying attention to them. Of course, if you were anywhere near a radio then, you’d hear their couple of hits, and if you had MTV, those videos were in constant rotation.
With that said, I was surprised to see 18 tracks on this Greatest Hits collection. Much of the material are fan favorites, actually, and some of them are different versions from their original forms.
“After The Rain” starts with its lengthy and dramatic intro that leads into the smooth vocals and crisp rhythm section of the band’s biggest hit, and “(Can’t Live Without Your) Love And Affection” follows with more emphasis on acoustic guitar in the anthemic rocker that sure got a lot of praise in 1990.
The rest of the tracks won’t be familiar to the casual listeners, but certainly will resonate with the diehard fans. In the middle, the soulful “More Than Ever” adds a touch of Motown to the loud rocker, while “Too Many Dreams” recruits buzzing guitars amid a firm delivery of a more hard hitting version of Nelson.
Much deeper, the heartfelt “Keep One Heart” resides closer to folk-rock, and “Take Me There”, one of the album’s best, embraces strings into the flowing and lush rock that’s quite emotive alongside a subtle orchestral feel.
Most of us will be surprised to find out that Matthew and Gunnar Nelson have made music consistently since their time in the spotlight in the early ‘90s. Completely independent for many years now, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the pair of radio hits here are actually the least interesting songs present, and the brothers have much depth that’s thankfully explored across most of the listen.
Travels well with: Dizzy Box Nine- Last Call Before The Fall; Damon Mitchell- Like You’re In A Dream