Nolan

Nolan’s first CD, 2001’s No Visible Scars, was a quiet, overly emotive singer-songwriter project. The songs were sparse, quiet and sad and at times a bit lyrically over the top. His new CD resets some of those same songs, this time backed by an all-star band featuring members of Deathray, Popgun, Red Star Memorial and Milwaukee. The setting makes all the difference. The lyrics are still problematic, but this time you notice the strengths, especially Nolan’s sense of pop melody, which at times borders on brilliance. “If You See Me,” which originally appeared as an acoustic track on Nolan’s debut, burns as an all-out rocker here. Several of the tracks, including “Next Time You Fly,” could easily be a Deathray outtake—not surprising, since the CD was co-produced by Deathray’s Dana Gumbiner at the band’s local studio, Brighton Sound. Nolan is an artist maturing into his sound—a good thing to hear.