Nick Nobody – Nomad

Nick Nobody – Nomad – Album Review

“Wandering” makes for an enticing start.  From the slightly intentional distortion in the music, to the inherent smoothness of Nick’s vocals, I was merely seconds into “Wandering” before I knew that I was on solid ground with his music.  I don’t spend a ton of time in the R&B genre these days, but I’ve done my time in the trenches learning about everything from Tevin Campbell to Johnny Gill, and legendary icons like Teddy Pendergrass, and Prince of course.  So believe me when I tell ya, Nobody’s got a great sound.  It’s fresh, upbeat and energetic…he’s got a jazzy swagger to his voice that easily projects the vibe you’d wanna hear in a song this style.  It’s got this upbeat energy that instantly sparks my interest and gets me engaged every time I give the album another spin, and I like how “Wandering” introduces us to both the man and the message behind his music on Nomad.  “If you’re wondering why I’m wandering” – Nick proves to be the quintessential vagabond heart, and he’s always down to travel in new directions.  This first cut passes by quickly, but it’s been welcome each & every time it comes back around on repeat.

As we cruise into the title-track, Nick orders himself some steak and a bottle of red to kick things off.  I don’t know if it’s the use of quick ambient vocal clips that adds a little edge of distortion to the sound or what – but I was concerned for a hot minute that it was going to be a consistent stylistic choice.  Thankfully, the record quickly shows resilience in a transition towards the beginning of “Nomad” that shifts the sound into an unrelenting smoothness, which was definitely the right call.  I mean, you never really want to overdo anything if you can help it, right?  Listen to the hook in “Nomad” will ya?  That’s a sound that anyone from Pop to R&B would admire and wish they wrote themselves.  Stoked to hear things go so right so quickly…like, “Wandering” is a solid tune I’d listen to anytime, but “Nomad” is one of those undeniable single-worthy cuts that’ll get everyone listening.  It does take a little time to get it there…like how you’d hit an interlude or two in a mixtape (this will come up a couple times in this review) – you’ll be almost a minute & a half into “Nomad” before it’ll really show its teeth.  Up to that point, it’s fairly risky with its anti-typical sound.  That’s part of the magic in that main transition though – once you get to the universal vibes he’s created, you’ll know that you’re on solid ground from that point forward, and you have to wonder whether or not its second act would have been as potent without having the other stuff that preceded it earlier in the song.  When you reach the main meat of “Nomad” though, there’s no looking back, and there’s no denying that this is one of the record’s most irresistible.

“Rolling Stone” takes you through some of Nick’s history and some of the people/events that shaped him into the man he’s become today.  You’ll hear what I was talking about in the difference between a song like “Wandering” and “Nomad,” because “Rolling Stone” largely works the same way.  It has the effect that the opening track on the album did; it’s a good song…a quality song…a song that I’d never have a problem listening to, nor would I suspect that anyone into R&B/Pop would object to.  Is it a single?  I mean…if it is, it’s the third or fourth choice in the lineup most likely.  Obviously that’s not the full criteria of what defines a song, but you get what I mean…something like “Rolling Stone” isn’t nearly as universal as a track like “Nomad” is.  That’s no slight towards “Rolling Stone” either y’all – it’s much more of a compliment towards how bulletproof the album’s title-track really is.  I like listening to “Rolling Stone” and learning about the man behind the music.  “Rolling Stone” details how much he’s resisted sticking in one place throughout his life…the Nomad in Nick Nobody has dictated his direction in his life, always.  He’s realizing he might be at a point where it’s time to “put some roots down” though, and I like that he lets us all in on how he’s feeling & the thought process behind what he experiences outside of the music.

I’ll be real with ya…I’m a little tossed up over the interludes and such.  BEFORE you get mad at me, just hear me out…I understand that they’re a crucial part of the storyline to Nomad, and I fully get that the Spoken Word interlude has long been woven into the fabric of R&B’s DNA.  And I’ll say this…they do occasionally, work well enough.  Do they ever make the difference and bring a song from good to great?  No.  I’ve yet to experience that personally, but I do understand the purpose they serve and also believe that they honor the genre through what’s basically a tributary inclusion inspired by the OGs of the sound – that’s respectable.  But yeah…it’s not what’s going to get me to listen to “Best Of Me” – I’d be into it for many other reasons.  For the most part, I think this is an exceptional tune…slowed down, sweet & smooth – the things that you instantly love about Nobody’s sound.  I still want more out of the production than we’re getting, but that’s okay.  The only spot in this song where I felt like the freakin’ wheels came right off was that one brief spot with the echo effect on the vocals…that was definitely an unforced error, but it could happen to anyone.  So yeah…from the stilted acting for the skit, to that brutal echo execution, “Best Of Me” needs a little more tinkering under the hood to make it perfect.  Having said that, what’s good about it is undeniably great, and the framework exists for a solid & smooth hit song here.  You can’t blame me for wanting greatness out of Nick at all times – I know he’s capable of it.

“Sleep When It’s Dawn” he says!  Ladies take note…a night with Nobody is gonna take more than a minute.  You see…I’ve lived my life wrong.  I didn’t know you could just make an R&B to advertise your prowess like this, or I would have made a way bigger effort to get chiseled abs and learn to sing better than I actually did.  I felt like, despite the few ticks of “Best Of Me” that didn’t quite resonate with me, it was “Sleep When It’s Dawn” that made me question the up/down nature that some of this album would present over the course of its lineup.  I mean…eighteen songs y’all…you regular readers know how I feel about that before I even push play, and it’s moments like “Sleep When It’s Dawn” that reveal where the overall lineup could be tightened up a bit by removing a track or two instead of including it all.  Like, any time I see eighteen songs on an album, I’m instantly wondering if ANYTHING hit the cutting room floor.  Don’t get me wrong, “Sleep When It’s Dawn” is a good song…but is it a great one?  Does it hold its own compared to the rest?  That’s so much harder to assess…but I suspect the answer for most, would be no.

“Blush” would be up there with the most memorable tracks in the lineup I’d think.  This is definitely a cut where you can hear Nick draw from those that came before him, but also one that proves his name could certainly belong in the conversation one day when you consider and debate the greats.  There’s work to be done still, but make no mistake – this dude knows what to do with a microphone when it comes time to record.  The writing is equally impressive when it comes right down to it – again, listen to that main hook in “Blush” – it’s almost ridiculously strong.  As Nick details his sexual escapades to a level that might even make Pendergrass “Blush,” you can’t help but admire how Nobody had a vision for what he wanted to create with this cut, and executed the gameplan perfectly.  Like how it can be extremely tough for a song to follow the greatest moment in a record’s lineup, the opposite is equally true.  In this case, I think “Blush” might have benefitted from “Sleep When It’s Dawn” right beforehand…it kind of bumps up how we feel about “Blush” that much more.  Regardless though, it’s a quality cut, and really one of the best that represents the classic themes and lyrical direction that has made R&B as timeless as it has been throughout the years.  Without a doubt, “Blush” was a highlight for me in Nomad’s set-list.

So what I’m looking for…still relatively early on in the lineup of EIGHTEEN tracks…is for Nick to break the streak of one and one…one good song, one great song…I want to hear the man go on a roll for three or four tracks in a row that knock it straight outta the park.  Obviously GOOD is way better than bad…but he’s got greatness in him, and it’s actually kind of because of that, that you notice when a song is just a decent track, as opposed to his undeniable best.  “Love Like A Lie” is kind of right between the two poles of measurement…not quite great, but better than good too.  “I’m on the edge, tipping further every day,” he sings…maybe he knows what I’m talking about!  Or maybe that line was convenient to fit into this narrative I’m working with. In any event, “Love Like A Lie” wasn’t the song to break the streak for me, but to be fair to the song…I don’t know that I ever ended up finding that significant roll I was looking for from Nick in any other point of the album either.  I mean, if we’re talkin’ about GOOD songs, I’d tell you every single one of these cuts qualifies for that label…but again, if we’re talkin’ about the GREATNESS we all know he’s capable of, then I know there’s still more work to be done.  Hooks to be sharpened, and a more intense on making sure absolutely everything is memorable…that kind of stuff.  “At first it sounds good, it’s got you hanging on,” he sings…again…convenient for my narrative – or is he agreeing with me?

Now…to clarify what I was saying earlier – a separate, dedicated interlude, is always welcome.  That’s often poetry and art…and I’m all for that.  “When In Roam” is exactly that, and I’m cool with it.  It’s when you end up with the whole, “hey girl, I’ve had you running around my mind all day long…and I just can’t wait until I see you again” etc. etc. that the classic idea at the roots has now turned into parody.  Like, I’m fine with’em outside of a song…it’s only when they come directly before shifting into a song on the same track that they seem to bug me.  Arguably, there IS a song at the end of “When In Roam,” but you’ll get why I’m cool with it in this instance…it’s artistic, 100%.  “When In Roam” explains so much of the mental state behind being a Nomad, but also shows that Nick doesn’t want anyone to remotely believe that they could be responsible for the way he chooses to live his life.  He is who HE is, that’s it, that’s all.

TRUE STORY – I actually checked right into Nick Nobody and vetted this dude as best I could even before writing this up.  Why?  Because I had SO MANY questions after some of the things I’d see in his videos and a few of the minor but consistent quirks that crept in through the production (which admittedly, could simply be the YouTube compression).  I know he’d likely figure that the AI video series that comes along with this album is doing him any favors, but in this day and age of having to question everything we see and hear, it ends up making us wonder if he’s real or not!  As best that I’ve been able to research myself, there’s no mention of that.  Nick has even been a part of the group Level 4 for years too as far as I know…so even though his videos might not be real, for all intents and purposes, I understand the man behind everything we hear, is.  That being said, this next cut practically sounds like a set of AI prompts come to life, and that’s a little concerning.  “Go, Man, Go” wasn’t really where I was at I suppose.  It kind of felt like capitalizing on the current trend of adding in a Country dimension more-so than it felt like it was an authentic fit for Nick…I guess that’s what I’m saying and how I hear it.  Fear not – where there’s one of me, I can guarantee you there will be legions of other listeners that will tell you “Go, Man, Go” is fire.  Not my favorite cut personally, but again, if tracks like this and “Sleep When Its Dawn” were to be the worst you’d find in the lineup, let’s be real here and point out that Nobody would be in great shape.

“Never Was” is a fantastic concept.  Lyrically, Nick’s done an exceptional job in crafting this record filled with songs about trying to figure out where your place is, or if not having anything too permanent is where you really belong.  Emotionally speaking, of course.  “Never Was” is a highly relatable track though – I think Nobody has brilliantly captured the idea of how we can change for the worse when we’re in a relationship if we’re not too careful.  I mean, I do find it interesting in the sense that, he could have gone in a positive direction with it, like someone being turned into something inspiring that he “Never Was” before and how that could be a great thing…but he went in the completely opposite direction.  It’s just one of those intriguing tidbits that offer a glimpse into the way someone thinks.  I like the threadbare beginning and how we get to hear how great the vocals really are as clear as day with Nick going practically a cappella for ya long before the music kicks in.  Even when it does, he still remains the most significant highlight to be found in “Never Was” – it’s a really well-written tune with strongly executed music from performance to production, but it’s the vocals that are consistently mesmerizing.

There is a large part of me that feels like “Now You Know” should belong in the conversation about which songs could be singles from this lineup.  The chorus is so incredibly addictive that it’s hard to describe…part of it is the melody, but more of it is the personality, if that makes sense to ya.  Up until that point, I feel like “Now You Know” could have lost me.  The opening verse/ambient noise/conversation doesn’t really have the effect that I think Nobody’s going for, even if it does support the main narrative he’s working with inside the lyricism.  The chorus though, is pretty much everything.  I don’t care if you’re a teenager in high school or a construction worker of forty years – everyone and anyone stands a chance at loving what they’ll hear in the hooks of “Now You Know.”  When Nobody finds that spark of inspiration he’s looking for, believe me when I tell ya, you’ll hear him feelin’ it when he’s singin’ it, and as a result of his own organic interest, we become equally invested in everything we hear.

There’s just something about Nick that we want to cheer on and see succeed.  He’s got the skills to get himself there, that much I know.  Dude’s got a fantastic voice, and he’s able to write outstanding songs.  Are there too many in a lineup of eighteen?  Absolutely!  Would I tell that to any artist or band?  I do that almost weekly, so…yep!  The clarity in the production still needs to come up to a level that it completely complements his performances, but the rest is all very much in line.  “Burning Bridges Tonight” is easily one of my favorite cuts on the record, if not THE track for my own personal taste.  Nobody knocks this one right outta the park and gets all the emotion into this one…it’s magnificent to listen to, straight up.  As a slower jam, it’s not gonna end up being the single…but this is genuinely mesmerizing in all the right ways.  SHOULD songs like these be singles based on that kind of attribute?  I mean…there’s intense value in that, right?  To me, that’s what real single-worthy songs are.  It doesn’t just mean catchy – it can be substance-driven concepts…things that we would all respond to as listeners, because we can’t help but focus in on what stimulates our interest.  “Burning Bridges Tonight” is going to be the real unsung hero of this lineup of songs, but I sure hope it gets its due share of the credit with listeners out there.  You really hear some of the most potent emotions in the mix on this song, and you get the sense that Nick can get into moments where he’s more than ready to burn it all down & start again if he has to at any time.  He’s unafraid to keep moving like a Nomad if he needs to, but he’s also providing us with an openly confessional song that highlights so much of what has dominated his thought process as of late.  If you’re listening to “Burning Bridges Tonight” the right way, you’ll likely find it tragically heartbreaking.

“Cool Down” has a tough spot in the lineup, obviously, coming after what I think could very well be the album’s crown jewel.  Nomad wouldn’t be complete without “Burning Bridges Tonight” – but it would have survived without “Cool Down” – that’s the difference y’all.  As I’ve made clear from the very start, the worst track you’re going to experience on this album is still good…so no reason to panic.  It’s not like I’m out here directly saying SKIP “COOL DOWN” – I’m not saying that.  I’ve got no real issues with the song whatsoever.  If anything, it’s almost too laidback to generate a powerfully excited response, you feel me?  Like, it’s so chill that it can’t really light a fire underneath us.  Substance-wise, we’re nowhere near the strength we just experienced in the track before, so in general, it’s just a bit of a tough transition on the album to a song that doesn’t quite measure up in the same way.  As a standalone release, something like “Cool Down” might do alright in pulling numbers…but surrounded by a lineup of more seemingly substantial material, this neon flex doesn’t quite land in the same was as the rest do in terms of depth.

“La Vie Bohème” could have practically been labelled as an interlude, and I’d be just as cool with it as I am now.  Set against a brilliantly minimalist idea in the music, this is one of the most artfully-inspired songs on Nomad, and maybe in any other corner of the R&B genre too while we’re at it – I love this cut.  I think it’s spoken out in French at first, right?  I was terrible in that subject and trying to learn the language…or any others for that matter…but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the SOUND of’em.  So yeah – the opening was interesting for its uniqueness in this lineup of songs, and then Nick closed it all out strong with a remarkable Spoken Word performance that’ll leave you speechless.  “La Vie Bohème” is really compelling if you ask me…whether it’s the music or the words, I couldn’t take my ears off of this one.  Now…I know, I know…this is a prime example of a song that’ll speak directly to some and not at all to others, but hopefully this wins over more folks than I might assume it would.  It’s got such a way of commanding our attention through the most subtle of means musically…truly captivating stuff there…and I felt like the Spoken Word delivery from Nick Nobody was exceptional.  I mean hell, he’s a great singer, but if he’s ever gonna drop a Spoken Word record one day, you can count on me to listen.

“Miles” is…an interesting track that’ll likely have no problem getting you onboard at the end of the day.  I don’t know what it is about writing “pickup truck” into a song, but that pretty much signals a Country music influence 99% of the time.  So…I started thinking about that with “Miles” – because it’s NOT a Country song as it’s currently constructed…it’s still Nick Nobody, it’s still R&B.  And it’s pretty beautiful when it comes right down to it, but we’ll get to that.  My point is that, whether or not a Country twinge was intended, or threaded in symbolically through the “pickup truck” line, I really started to notice the wild degree of crossover potential in what Nick creates that much more every time I spun the album again after listening to this song for the first time.  “Miles” COULD go on to become a Country-fied song, and it’d likely be a hit…that’s what I’m tellin’ ya.  And then like, you’ll realize that many of the cuts on this record have been able to work with hybrid designs that would be versatile to listening ears…like we’d all hear a slightly different version of the very same songs, by what appeals to our own personal tastes.  And that’s neat, ain’t it?  Just thought I’d share my thoughts with you, because that’s kind of what I’m here to do…so you’re welcome.  Objectively speaking, there’s no reason not to love “Miles” as far as I can tell; it’s humble, sweet, and authentically honest at the same time as well.  Didn’t always love the lyrical structure in the verses if I’m bein’ real with ya, but I love that Nobody says what he wants to say exactly how he wants to say it.  For better or worse, he really lets us on the inside of what he thinks at all times.

From the moment that “Hide & Seek” starts up, it’s Nick’s game to lose…because this might very well be the easiest song to get into on the entire record, and that’s really saying a lot at this point.  Going back to the point I was just making though – listen to the hook of “Hide & Seek” and the guitar that comes with it, and you tell me this couldn’t go on to be a full-on Country song at some point – you know it could!  I’m way more likely to listen to R&B than Country, but there are crossover elements in all kinds of music these days, and it’s never bad strategy to cast a wider net, right?  All-in-all, it’s an enjoyable track.  If I have any significant concerns about “Hide & Seek” it’s that it’ll suck up so much of the oxygen at first that it might overshadow a lot of other great material on Nomad, and spinning it as often as you’ll want to might wear this particular track out a little quicker than the rest over time.  Nice to find a track this strong towards the end of a record though…that’s highly encouraging.  As far as universal sounds go, I don’t know if there’s anything that can really contend with the melody he’s created for “Hide & Seek.”

Closer to something you’d hear by The Weeknd on “No Man’s Land,” Nobody’s been keeping very good company when it comes to comparisons.  For this track specifically, I think he’s flexing verses that are monumentally stronger than what you’ll hear in the chorus.  Nothing wrong with that…it happens, but of course, it’s not what the public typically expects, so that can at times feel like a bit of a let down too, you know what I mean?  So…yeah…I mean, if I’m keeping it 100 for ya, then I’m just calling things like I hear’em – and I’m always listening to “No Man’s Land” for the verses.  The chorus is alright…I’m not saying it doesn’t fit or even that it really takes anything too much away from the song either – but I’m less convinced that it adds something significant to this track after what you’ll get upfront early on in your first impressions of it.  Make sense?  It happens so much more than you’d think it does in music, so don’t get it twisted, it’s not like I’m saying he doesn’t have something special here – he does.  The right part in a song can account for the sum total of how we feel about it, and the verses of this song are bound to bring a whole lot of listeners to this cut.  Considering that you can still easily sing along with the chorus in this tune too…believe me, there’s a good chance that this would be a real highlight live.

Like you’ve arrived at a poetry slam at the very end of the album, “Chased” is freakin’ brilliant…and I kinda wish there was more of this found within the lineup.  I don’t know about the parts that aren’t exclusively done by Nick…like…I wasn’t fully sold on the spot sung in another language, and not wasn’t fully in love with the vocalizations at the end either if I’m being truthful.  Unique ideas though, and I am all for switching things up like Nick has along the way throughout this entire album.  He’s tried so many different things really, and going tribal with his R&B was a clever way to conclude this whole experience.  I did end up feeling like I wished it could stay in that highly artistic gear that it originally started with, but I also understand that “Chased” had to go on to do things differently too, or we’d all get overwhelmed!  Was it the right choice in direction afterwards?  You can be the final judge and jury on that…I wanted a bit more, but I also think that Nick created an extremely unique conclusion to the record as well, and of course there’s value in that.  Ultimately, “Chased” might be another one of the most polarizing inclusions into the lineup of Nomad, but as I always like to remind you, it’s always better for the people out there to debate and talk about the music they’re listening to rather than saying nothing at all.  The music on this last cut is really quite something to experience…it’s soulful in so many ways, but different than we tend to define it in that regard.  You’ll get what I mean when you have a listen for yourselves…so go do that.

Find out more about Nick Nobody from his official website at:  https://hyperboleportal.com/nick-nobody