Nick Charles – Closer to Home

The fifth Album From “Australias virtuoso of acoustic roots and blues”.
Critically acclaimed the world over and now the best selling album in his outstanding catalogue is here.
Well worth a listen

CD REVIEW
Nick Charles – Closer to Home
by Jane Harding

Melbourne guitarist Nick Charles has been a performing and touring acoustic musician for more than 25 years on the Australian and international acoustic music scene.
His list of musical influences includes the blues of Big Bill Broonzy and Blind Blake, the finger-picking of Doc Watson and Merle Travis and the swing and melody of Django Reinhardt.
Closer to Home is Nick’s fifth album.
On it, he has looked deep inside himself and come up with ten superb original tracks and two inspired covers – one of the early Bob Dylan number “One Too Many Mornings” and the other of a melody Billie Holliday claimed was the most beautiful she’d ever heard, “Yesterdays”.

The more I listened to this recording, the more I enjoyed it.
Magnificent acoustic finger-picking guitar work, of course and surprisingly some delightful songs!  Stand-out tracks include the Mississippi John Hurt inspired “Needing You” and the fatalistic “You Can’t Change a Thing”.

You’ll hear the loveliest solo guitar on the southern New Mexico influenced “Las Cruces”.
“New Memphis Blues” is a big nod to the musical genius of WC Handy and features some nice harmonica from Ian Collard – just one of the fine group of guest musicians Nick has assembled for the album.

For the wannabe’s, Nick has included the capo position, key and chord shapes used in each piece on the liner notes.
Nick Charles must be one of the hardest working acoustic musicians in Australia.
He averages over 200 shows a year from Perth to Sydney and LA to Kansas City and looking at his touring schedule, I doubt this recording will bring him “Closer to Home” in the near future – maybe for Christmas?
I hope so!
For the rest of November and early December 2008 he is touring in New Zealand.