Remember This is the new album by Canada's Nudie. The name is an homage to Nashville's legendary outfitter Nudie Cohn (I will warn you in advance, any Google search for this album may result in embarrassment, consternation or titillation - depending on your world view. Please proceed with caution!) The music is also an homage to the Country musical greats who came before.
With a relaxed vocal style somewhere between Corb Lund and Marty Stuart, Nudie brings the twelve songs on this album to life with a "matter of fact" storytelling cadence. And his sharp wit shines fresh light on many familiar topics. In the lead track, "If a Heart Could Tell," for instance, Nudie ponders what relationships would be like if hearts could tell the truth from a lie and avert heartbreaks before they happened. But he realizes that "if we merely played it safe, we could tell it what to do. Then a heart would be a stone. There'd be no more me and you. Guess it's lucky for me that a heart can't tell." The sparse musical arrangement of this song rides on just an undulating guitar riff and a steady drum back beat. The song has a cool groove that plays like a syncopated heartbeat which permeates the rest of the album.
The next song, "Sex Kisses," opens up with some great jangling guitar work. (Once again I must caution you that talking about Nudie Sex Kisses could get you locked up in several states - but it might just be worth it!) Again, Nudie finds a creative way to say that his woman is upset that the relationship is more physical than emotional, but of course, sex kisses is a much cooler way to tell the story.
The title song, "Remember This," is a classic troubadour style ballad that really brings out his Marty Stuart influences. "My Sweet Ache" follows with a surprising "Gloria" (the Van Morrison/Them version) inspired riff that adds a nice musical texture, complete with some nice organ playing. On its heels, Nudie goes full Country roadhouse with "You Try To Be Right." Again, Nudie takes the common theme of cheating and turns it on its head, saying in essence, "You try to be right with your actions and I'll try to be wrong with my accusations."
Nudie's impeccable sense of rhythm and unique style of storytelling continue throughout the rest of the album. From the Bakersfield inspired "Walking the Streets" to the blistering "The Pain In You" and beyond, Nudie constantly delights and surprises the ear and the mind. "Remember This" is truly a memorable album.
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