***ALBUM OF THE MONTH | October 2020***
Natalie Schlabs
Don’t Look Too Close
Natalie Schlabs/Tone Tree Music
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You don’t need me to remind you that these past seven months of compounded economic, political, social and pandemic-fueled unrest have been tough for so many of us, in so many ways. And from what I’ve gathered, everyone’s experiences during this period have been nuanced, residing at different, often fluctuating points along the spectrum of stasis, paralysis and crisis.
Relative to far too many others who have confronted real, life-altering hardships during this time, I’ve personally—and thankfully—had very little to complain about. Nevertheless, I’ve consciously sought out various means of coping with these abnormal, uncertain circumstances, in an attempt to sustain whatever positive world outlook I still possess. Going for long evening runs around Brooklyn. Devoting more time to my daughters. Indulging my wife’s obsession with continually redecorating our apartment. Spending extended time away from the city to recalibrate. Reading and writing. Drinking wine in moderately greater amounts than usual. All of these activities counteracted, mind you, by my nightly addiction to watching Rachel Maddow and her fellow MSNBC pundits expound upon the sorry, gut-punching state of our government.
Music, of course, continues to offer much-needed shelter from the persistent shitstorm. And amidst the abundance of new music flooding my inbox and the much smaller fraction actually making its way to my ears these days, one voice in particular has served as an ever-dependable source of solace and inspiration.
If you’ll pardon the overused cliché for a moment, hearing Natalie Schlabs’ soaring ballad “Home Is You” for the first time back in April was truly a breath of fresh air, her reassuring, confident tone and evocative lyrics melding seamlessly and gloriously with the song’s shimmering, lilting arrangement.
My curiosity thoroughly piqued, I went about trying to discover more about Schlabs, only to learn that an extensive six-month gestation period stood between “Home Is You” and the scheduled October 16th arrival of her new album Don’t Look Too Close. I kept my impatience at bay during the intervening months by spending more time with her previous LP Midnight With No Stars (2016), an accomplished effort in its own right. And fortunately, “Home Is You” proved to be just the first installment of a steady string of subsequent singles that Schlabs methodically unveiled over the next five months, each track building upon the promise of its precursor, while auguring that the album as a whole was destined to be something truly special.
And something very special it is. Rare is the album in which each song contained therein constitutes must-listen material, but with Don’t Look Too Close, Schlabs pulls off the feat, imbuing each of its nine standout compositions with a radiant glow, refreshing clarity and revelatory grace.
Now based in Nashville, Schlabs grew up in West Texas within a home where music reigned supreme, her mother, grandfather and three brothers all indulging their shared passion for singing and playing various instruments, which served to stoke the songwriting spirit within her. “It was very normal for all of us to be together in a room, playing instruments and singing together,” Schlabs recalls in an official statement. “My love for music comes from my family, and my love for family is often the substance of my songwriting.”
In light of her upbringing and with much of Don’t Look Too Close’s songs written while she was pregnant with her first child, it’s no great surprise that the sanctity of family, durability of love and her newfound sense of purpose as a parent are pervasive themes throughout the album.
The album commences with “That Early Love,” a string-laden soliloquy that affirms her enduring love for her husband (which she endearingly declares “the best damn thing”) as they envision raising a family together. This vision of starting a family soon transforms into reality with two songs dedicated to her son, including the poignant, acoustic lullaby “Endless Love” and the album’s title track “Don’t Look Too Close.”
Arguably the supreme standout moment on the album, “Don’t Look Too Close” stretches Schlabs’ sound beyond her Americana/Country pedigree into more propulsive indie-pop territory, as she astutely examines the different perspectives that parents and children possess within their relationships with each other. “As adults, it’s easy to criticize our parents for what we feel they could have done differently or better,” Schlabs explained during my recent interview with her. “But becoming a parent gives you fresh empathy for how most of us are really doing the best we can with the tools we have.”
Informed by Psalm 139 and the most overtly spiritual song among the nine, “See in the Dark” explores how God manifests in many ways, but namely within the love we nurture for others. Indeed, Schlabs’ selfless compassion and concern for others beyond her immediate family represents a recurring thread as evidenced by a trio of songs. With bold, multi-textured guitarwork that evokes the most memorable of Ryan Adams’ arrangements, “Eye of the Storm” unfolds as a rumination about a friend in need who’s just beyond reach. “See What I See” finds her offering reassurance to a loved one who is suffering, while the achingly beautiful “Ophelia” acknowledges a friend grappling with the tragic loss of her baby.
Thankfully, Schlabs steals a moment for herself on the refreshing and redemptive “Go Outside,” a gorgeous ode to taking a break from technology dependence, which she confesses “feels so lonely / even with a thousand friends / watch their stories / acting in a movie that never ends,” ultimately (and accurately) concluding that “there’s so much more to life” in connecting with the world outside.
“I’m not sure my career is on track,” the humble, self-deprecating Schlabs admitted during our aforementioned exchange. But even the most cursory of listens to the inspired assemblage of songs that comprise Don’t Look Too Close validates that she deserves all of the plaudits sure to come her way. And if there’s any justice in this world, her career trajectory will surely find her scaling even loftier heights in the years to come.
Notable Tracks: “Don’t Look Too Close” | “Go Outside” | “Home Is You” | “See What I See”
BUY Don’t Look Too Close via Natalie Schlabs’ official store
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