It’s certainly refreshing to find an artist that refuses to simply dwell on the hard times, instead choosing to bask in the good and the great that life has to offer. At times almost jovial, Nash’s charisma and buoyant attitude is infectious to the last with a sound capable of softening the sternest of hearts. From the resplendent urgency of ‘Hard Lesson’ to the elegiac ‘Barcelona’, ‘The Things You Think You Need’ has the potential to surpass anything that’s gone before. The writing/recording process for this, his fourth studio album, saw Nash’s creative spark ignite like wild-fire as he wrestled with the concept of producing an album laden with variety and character. By drawing inspiration from his own life experiences, both past and present, Nash’s inspirational and evocative lyrical imagery possesses the ability to shatter those deep-rooted inadequacies and musters a feeling of liberation and new-found confidence. There’s no sign of an agenda here - Nash’s spirited folk revival offers salvation for the masses. Too many of today’s artists find it easy to trade on a manufactured kinship - creating an unsettling, short-term bond with audiences that they’re all too willing to discard on a whim. Jay Nash is a different animal altogether and his desire to connect with people is evident as he produces that very first subtle, Americana-style chord. There’s no bravado, no ill-placed audacity. Nash, its plain to see, is one of us - one of the good guys. A trailblazer for passion and hard graft - a man who knows no limitation.|— — Joel Crane (Mojo, Q and NME Magazines) |
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