Last Hurrah

Beaver Nelson

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 13, 1998)
• Original Release Date: October 20, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Freedom (City Hall)
• ASIN: B00000DC3W
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #328,216 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Austin, Texas, pumps out idiosyncratic folk-country singer/songwriters faster than a mint prints money. The difference is that mints print mostly dollar bills while Austin consistently produces the big notes. Sure, Beaver Nelson revolves around the Townes Van Zandt axis, but he has found his own bold and compelling songwriting voice. After being screwed around by major labels for the better part of the 1990s, Nelson finally emerged in 1998 with the provocative Last Hurrah, a record that is edgy and brassy yet oddly soothing. His musical settings range from Stones-like jangle and swagger to warm acoustic strumming, but they are merely springboards for his world-weary lyrics. In the end, what comes across is a man who's been beaten down (by the world and by his own behavior) yet finds beauty in the cycle of it all. Nelson is part quick-witted poet, part depraved miscreant--in short, just your typical Austin musician. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chateau de honk, December 30, 1999

By	"jumpin-jesus" (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

For those of us with an unhealthy love of Let it Bleed-era Stones, this is a godsend. Perhaps a little bit more rollicking country and sans-pop harmonies than Wilco, it is a country honk winner from the very first spin. It took me weeks to get 'Stray Dog' out of my head. Beaver's somewhat worn voice is just perfectly suited to his superb songwriting talents, too often gritty songs like this are ruined by some smooth vocal and an overly slick band. Plenty of raggedy-arse, alt-country passion makes this a great find.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Album of 1999.....Period, April 1, 2000

By A Customer

The first time I heard "Things Get Shaky Round Midnight" on NPR one night, I thought I was listening to a lost Springsteen song circa "Greetings From Asbury Park". I couldn't believe that someone had written a song that was every bit as good as "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City" or "Tangled Up In Blue". The great thing is this whole album is just as good. There is not a weak song here; just a collection of songs people like Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams could only hope to write. Definitely the best and most completely original album of 1999

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best CDs you've never heard, June 7, 2000

By	Kazz (Boise, Idaho) - See all my reviews

Great songs with some of the best musicians Austin has to offer backing him up. Simply one of the most skilled songwriters around. You can hear the influence of Townes, Dylan and Springsteen on almost every cut but it is not in the least bit derivative. If lyrics are your "thing", you owe it to yourself to check out this CD.