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For Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, most of 2011 was spent touring extensively, playing over 200 shows that included such high-profile gigs such as Farm Aid, the Bridge School Benefit, Stagecoach, and the Country Throwdown Tour. In the midst of the band’s busy schedule, Nelson found the time to pen brand new songs, which he then brought to the band to help with the arrangements and sounds. Once the songs were fleshed out, the band left their home base in Venice, California and headed to Nashville, where the band recorded this new album, Wasted, live in the studio.
The band embraced new recording techniques for this album, and welcomed musicians beyond the band’s core four members. It was Neil Young (whom Nelson refers to as a “distant mentor”) who encouraged the band to record the new material live and in analog, which they had not done for previous recordings. These musicians also took up Neil’s age-old tradition of recording when the moon is full. Another prominent influence on the creation of Wasted was co-producer Jim “Moose” Brown, the Grammy winning session musician/songwriter/producer and Bob Segar guitarist, who suggested that the band introduce new instrumentation to enrich the music; Cowboy Eddie Long (Jamey Johnson, Hank Williams III) provided steel guitar, Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson) added a little bit of country-blues harmonica, and Moose himself took up the duties of playing a Dobro guitar, Wurtlitzer piano, and the Hammond B3 organ. Lukas’ sister Amy Nelson contributed background vocals to a couple of songs as well. The result of all of these decisions have resulted in an album that has the warmth of a vinyl record, the energy of their live shows, and colorful textures that have built upon the band’s rock and roll foundation.
The songs, which were written by Nelson on the back of the tour bus during a grueling three-month tour, have been influenced by life on the road, and they express many of the emotions attached to his experiences. Wasted is a snapshot of his last summer of debauchery on tour and while the album’s title may suggest an ode to hard-partying, the band insist that the name refers to the wasting of life, time, and talent, and is meant to serve as a reminder to stay true to your path.
The album kicks off with the song “Golden Rule,” a hybrid of calypso rhythms and the beautifully unpolished guitar sounds of early 90s alternative and grunge rock. There are many more compositions from there that are just as unique, born from the band’s melting of influences; there is blues-punk (“Old Familiar Pain”), garage rock – stoner ballads (“The Joint”), and psychedelic country (If I Was the Ocean”).
Other songs affirm their love of American roots music and the classic rock of the 60s and 70s. There are blues-rock stomps (“Don’t Take Me Back”) and bare bones folk (“I Won’t Fail Her”). “Wasn’t That Great” sounds like a lost track to Tonight’s The Night while bar room rockers like the album’s title track “Wasted” are reminiscent of Faces via Stones The Black Crowes.
At times, Nelson’s songwriting bares some resemblance to the style of his famous father, country music legend Willie Nelson. You can hear it in the craftsmanship and storytelling, especially in the ballads. Songs like “Frame of Mind,” “Heart of the Matter,” and “Can You Hear Me Love You,” possess the plainspoken-but-picturesque poetics that Papa Willie is known for. Other times, it seems more like the songwriting is shaped around the pretty melodies he comes up with on his guitar. The way his words congeal with and work around the guitar notes on songs like “Ain’t No Answer” and “Time Is…,” suggest such a songwriting technique.
The lyrics can sometimes be ambiguous and difficult to interpret as a whole, but there are some wonderful lines and verses that prove Nelson’s is evolving as a lyricist. His lyrics can be reflective and sensitive, while other songs have a dash of attitude that comes naturally with youth and rock and roll music. Now and then a little bit of the cowboy folklore and imagery finds its way into the lyrics, as you might expect from the son of one outlaw country’s most iconic figures.
