Simon Nield – We’re Mostly Water

This well loved album features five top ten songs in the Australian national song contest, including the winner (instrumental) and runner up (folk/world)
Simon Nield – We’re Mostly Water by Ian Dearden Yet another tour de force emerges from a shed (a mandatory resource, it seems for all Aussie blokes!) Simon Nield is from Perth, WA, and this is his 2002 debut album (a second album, Resonance, released in 2004 is mainly instrumental). Simon has written all 12 songs and two solo acoustic guitar tunes on this album, played acoustic and electric guitars, bass, mandola, mandolin, keyboards and shakers, sung (beautifully) and recorded it all in his studio called (what else), “The Shed”. There are contributions from other players which flesh out the spare and primarily acoustic arrangements, most notably the legendary Greg Sheehan (who manages to conjure a drum kit from a tambourine) and Jennifer Tingley on cello. Simon has an attractive voice, a lovely fingerpicking style on acoustic guitar, and manages to cast his songwriter’s eye over relationships (Men Are Strange), children (Amen), and other big life questions such as what we’re made of (We’re Mostly Water) and where we’re going (Slow Down The World). Did I tell you that in his spare time he’s a groundwater consultant, choir leader, soundtrack composer, vocal and guitar workshop provider, and much else besides? This is a lovely album – a little bit like Nick Drake on happy pills, and well worth your attention.