{"id":61799,"date":"2020-04-23T19:46:30","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T18:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=61799"},"modified":"2020-04-23T19:46:30","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T18:46:30","slug":"contemporary-country-artist-nathan-thomas-releases-new-album-with-visuals-for-title-track-simpler-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2020\/04\/contemporary-country-artist-nathan-thomas-releases-new-album-with-visuals-for-title-track-simpler-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Contemporary Country Artist Nathan Thomas Releases New Album With Visuals For Title Track, ‘Simpler Times’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Singer-songwriter Nathan Thomas is something of a rarity, in more than just one respect. A lifelong Nashville resident, he’s the son of an in-demand musician who played with acts as varied as bluegrass legend Del McCoury and future Country Music Hall of Fame member Barbara Mandrell. From shadowing his dad during local performances, to playing in bands in high school and now to the present-day, creating and performing music has been his passion. As a young man, there was music everywhere around him, but more importantly there has always been that spark inside of him to create and perform. With the release of his debut project, ‘Simpler Times’, the spark has become a bright, colourful inferno.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Co-produced by Thomas with producer\/musician\/songwriter Foster Ferrell, Simpler Times is laced with elements of anthemic contemporary country and powerful pop, echoing the stadium-filling, fist-pumping drive of songs by Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts, but also the intricate, acoustic works of such artists as John Mayer and Fleetwood Mac. At the same time, the songs are also imbued with raw intimacy and delivered with a soulful, authoritative vocal style that’s warm, reassuring and mindful of the tradition from which he has come.<\/p>\n

Rooted in compelling, relatable lyrics and irresistibly catchy melodies, the emotional trajectory of the songs on Simpler Times are as autobiographical as it is universal. Thomas evokes childhood memories in the opening title tune, which builds with a palpable intensity before its slow, quiet distillation into what feels like an eye-to-eye and heart-to-heart conversation. The radio-ready songs throughout the album, including ‘Look Up’, ‘Distracted’, and ‘Talk’, address the importance of communication and connection, and of recapturing the best of those simpler times.<\/p>\n

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“‘Simpler Times’ was actually the last song we wrote on the record,” said Thomas. “I had been writing all year, trying to find the right song to glue it together. When you’re writing a record, you want it to be a body of work, to tell a cohesive story, even if it’s different. At this season of my life, and I think a lot of people can relate to this, we all lead lives with a lot of noise. We have these permanent distractions that are in our hands called iPhones, and we’re connected to everything, but we’re as least-connected as we’ve ever been from a realistic perspective.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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