The Northstar Session and Justin Nault

The Northstar Session “Late Bloomer”
The Northstar Session are a SoCal rock band where you hear echos of the past, but it doesn’t slavishly imitate them. Opening with the ear candy of the title track, it brings to mind The Autumn Defense but with a bit more polish. A great standout is the hook laden “In Time” with a great power chords between each verse as it reaches a crescendo.  And these guys still rock out a la Faces on “Turn You Around” with a simple backbeat, and blues guitar riff.

We get some nice group harmonies and jazzy licks on “Love Won’t Keep Them Apart,” and it’s a bit like The Black Crowes doing Van Morrison. Many of the tracks are slow moving mid-tempo soft rockers, like “Who You Were,” so fans of Wilco and The Fleet Foxes will enjoy this album for sure. Solid musicianship here as well. After all, you don’t get an appearance on NBC’s  “Parenthood” by slumming around.

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Justin Nault “It’s Just Me”
Justin Nault is an up and coming entertainer living in Nashville, TN. The bouncy piano opens things up on “I Would” and it proves Justin has the talent and vocal skills to make it. The songs melody line is a bit like The Rembrandts, but with a modern twist. “Addicted” follows through with a nice hook and smooth harmonies in the chorus. A signature tune here is the title track, a nicely written but sparely composed theme, with a sweet harmonic outro.

The albums second half is okay, but doesn’t distinguish itself as the guitar lead “Walk Away” sound pretty generic. “Puppet” brings back the piano lead, and Justin seems most comfortable here. Justin is also lead singer for the band Cougar Petting Zoo. Overall, an impressive debut from a young man with a bright future.