DANIEL NIELSEN: Unearthed

A fixture on the local music scene, sax/flute man Daniel Nielsen is often visible as a front man and sideman with a bevy of local musical artists. Recently, he resurrected a collection of songs from a previous band, Psychic Vacuum, from their 2013 recording project, which included guitarist Howard Coven.

So, hence the obvious title for Nielsen’s third CD, Unearthed, as the very bare sound files from a decade ago were unearthed with the help of Roy Silverstein at Rarified Records, who edited the existing nine tracks of original tunes (three co-writes with Coven), showcasing Nielsen front and center as the singer/songwriter.

The present day addendum lineup of musical artists to fill out the tracks include Glen Fisher on bass, Ed Fletcher on drums, and Coven on guitar, with supporting guest spots from Paul Bell on keyboards, Floyd Fronius on violin, Jon Walters on guitar, and vocalists Ashley E. Norton and Brooke MacIntosh.

The opening track, “Phone Psychic,” sets the stage for Nielsen’s often clever lyrical moments against a simple chord vamp groove, colored by his omnipresent sax riffs and Fronius’ well-placed fiddle licks. “Don’t you call back tomorrow ‘cause the boss man left with the dough…down to Mexico,” followed by the minor keyed rocker, “Real Slow,” with Nielsen’s rich and full-fluttering sax tones leading the way, à la Gato Barbieri, along with the tightly arranged vocal harmony with Norton. “A little color and a better pace is what I need to survive.”

The two vocal duets with MacIntosh, “Colors” and “Wishing Well,” are certainly highlights on the album, with Nielsen’s flute soaring through each tune amid their voices, as if Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) entered the studio on flute. Walters on guitar and Bell on keys star on the latter, particularly Bell’s nifty honky-tonk blues licks throughout.

Much of Nielsen’s songbook may remind you of Van Morrison and Joe Cocker in their formulas of simple repeating chord vamps being the unobtrusive backdrop to his lead vocals, as in “Favorite Part of the Night.” “He sings out to the ocean wide, he’s got the evening on his mind,” and the catchy tune, “Back on Tour,” with the repeating refrain, “back on tour, it’s where you’ll find me.”

“Intimate Thief,” a 6/8 time “cry-in-your-beer” waltz, is another highlight, featuring a mellifluous vocal duet with MacIntosh and ornamented by Fronius’ spot-on fiddle phrases, not to be outdone by the bluesy rhythm & blues track, “N’Orleanz,” which is spearheaded by Nielsen’s soulful sax lines as he sings of the exhilaration of taking in the New Orleans vibe. “Vibrations shake me, from my head down to my toes.”

The album concludes with a cool down from much of the up-tempo grooves with “All About You,” replete with chirping birds, flute, and acoustic guitar accompaniment to Nielsen’s catchy words of affection: “I told the daffodils, I told the whippoorwills, just how pretty you smile, yes I told them, all about you,” a touching finale to a group of original tunes sung in Nielsen’s own way, unearthing an entertaining listen for music lovers everywhere.