REVIEW: Nathan Stanley — Sandy Ridge Wind (SINGLE)
The new single from Nathan Stanley, “Sandy Ridge Wind”, is a worthy modern successor to his grandfather Dr. Ralph Stanley’s work. They explored different territory within the same overarching genre, Americana, but their work shares the same wont for plainspoken poetry and direct affecting melodies. The instrumentation fills a different vein, classic country in style, but it’s every bit as tasteful and sparse as an old Stanley Brothers tune. Everything is about serving the song.
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It’s obvious from the outset. Kerry Belcher wrote a song specifically for Nathan and it shows in the self-referential lines layered throughout the lyric. It is a song meant to stir Stanley’s emotions and score recognition points with knowledgeable listeners. Despite that, the song has across the board appeal because it seizes upon universal human emotions such as yearning for the past, a desire to go back to our roots, and those moments of clarity when we see what truly matters to us. Only a veteran performer such as Nathan Stanley can pull off a song such as this.
It is little wonder that he has ten albums under his belt. “Sandy Ridge Wind” comes from his upcoming Nathan Stanley Live! release, due in the spring of this year, as one of four new studio songs recorded for the collection. The authorship of the song is immaterial. Stanley imprints his personality on each second of the track. He is a compelling presence from the first without ever obscuring the song’s complementary strengths.
Stanley has released a video for the track as well. No one will doubt he has a heavy creative hand in the video’s creative direction as it incorporates several photographs from Stanley’s life. It underlines the direct connection between Nathan and his grandfather, among others, with other shots relating their influence. Incorporating eyepopping landscape footage emphasizes the ties Belcher’s lyrics make between its “speaker” and the natural world.
The imagery in the song will find its target with many listeners. Belcher’s instincts for meaningful images strike an universal chord rather than wallowing in obscurity and Stanley’s vocal talents convey the poetry with the right amount of gravitas. “Sandy Ridge Wind” has something for every fan of the classic country style — casual and hardcore devotee. Everyday listeners who appreciate the genre can relax in the hands of a masterful vocalist and his top flight collaborators. Aficionados, on the other hand, can dig into the artful references to Stanley’s famous lineage scattered through the song and video.
It is one of his finest achievements and more than worthy of the Stanley name. “Sandy Ridge Wind” never panders for the listener’s affections and earns them instead through the sweat off its brow. There is nothing calculating or cookie-cutter about its sound or presentation. Nathan Stanley’s studio work proves his performing art is as sharp as ever and his interpretative powers are keeping pace the whole way. This single definitely bodes well for his pending Nathan Stanley Live! release and there’s sure to be more to come.
Colin Jordan
