A Few Stars Apart (Fantasy, 2021)
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
Reviewed by Robert Wooldridge
Similarly, the uptempo "More Than We Can Handle" lauds perseverance ("We'll be okay/We'll find a way to survive") in the wake of disaster. The mournful ballad "Hand Me a Light" (co-written with Rina Ford who adds harmony vocals) recalls the senior Nelson's 1967 composition "Suffer in Silence" as it assigns the blame for problems ("You won't allow yourself/Love in your life").
With the Neil Young flavored country rocker "Leave 'em Behind," Nelson urges a friend to abandon an abusive relationship ("Beautiful face, I see your eye/Black and blue don't make good colors on you"), while the bittersweet ballad "Giving You Away" finds an anxious parent coming to terms with the imminent departure of a child ("Well you've grown so much/And now it's time to fly"), but with hope for the future ("And if he treats you right/And I know he will/There ain't nothing in the whole wide world/That you can't do").
Nelson takes to the piano on the title track in which he proclaims that distance cannot diminish a strong connection ("Travelling at the speed of love/Faster than light and you're on your way home/We're just a few stars apart and you're not alone"), while "Perennial Bloom (Back to You)" makes an indirect reference to life in the covid era ("Someone beside me actually smiled/Without a mask").
Produced by Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Shooter Jennings, Jason Isbell) and recorded at historic RCA Studio A in Nashville, "A Few Stars Apart" finds singer/songwriter Lukas Nelson nicely complementing the family legacy.
CDs by Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
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