Music review: Graham Nash – 鈥楾his Path Tonight鈥�
For his first solo release of new tracks in 14 years, Graham Nash pens a deeply personal set of reflective musings focused firmly on documenting a lifelong journey of self-discovery and character-molding experiences.
Reflective messages of love, loss and mortality are woven with great care and detail into the mus ical fabric of Nash鈥檚 intimate 10-song testimony.
The 74-year-old singer, songwriter, activist, photographer and two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with Crosby, Stills and Nash and the Hollies is still in fine voice as he gazes back into the mirror of his past while also pondering the new path patterned before him.
The new arrangements contained on his sixth solo effort come together from the fallout of a dissolved marriage, a heated feud with David Crosby and the renewed hope and passion of a new love.
The title track finds Nash unsure of where he is heading but determined to stay the course to the best of his abilities as he confesses, 鈥淚 may not know just where I鈥檓 going/But I鈥檓 on this path tonight.鈥�
鈥淢yself at Last鈥� follows as Nash wonders what legacy he鈥檒l leave behind by asking, 鈥淎nd the day that breaks before me/May never be surpassed/And the question haunting me/Is my future just my past?鈥�
On 鈥淕olden Days,鈥� Nash fondly looks back at his early musical years when Crosby, Stills and Nash (and sometimes Young) made music that defined a generation.
鈥淚 used to be in a band/Made up of my friends/We played across the land/When music had no end,鈥� nostalgically sings Nash as he reminisces about the 鈥渙lden鈥� days with songs full of soul and hope and when broken days eventually evolved into golden days.
The Band鈥檚 Levon Helm is the center of a heartfelt tribute on the earthy and fragile 鈥淏ack Home鈥� with Nash offering, 鈥淢ay the circle be unbroken as the band plays on.鈥�
鈥淓ncore鈥� brings a fateful finality to the album as Nash ponders what will happen when our journey nears its end by asking, 鈥淲hat you gonna do when the last show is over?鈥�
Fortunately, Nash seems far from performing his final show as he follows a new path filled with endless possibilities.
Clint Rhodes is the 缅北禁地 music reviewer.
He can be reached at crhodes@heraldstandard .com.