Nelson Sobral has been on my radar for quite some time. When his email came in, letting me know that he's got a new single coming, I was thrilled to chat with the talented, Toronto-based, guitar player, singer-songwriter.
Nelson has a reputation for being a hardworking, accomplished, all-around good guy. When I asked him how and when he got his start in the music business, his answer was "I've just always been a musician, always been writing songs." That statement pretty much sums it up. Nelson has had his hands in so many bands and projects over the years, that I'm not going to attempt to list them, for fear of missing someone. In addition to that, he's been running the Open Mic at The Painted Lady where he's a fixture.
"His music is a bluesy r&b country-rock cocktail in the vein of The Black Crowes, Joey Landreth, Bahamas, Doyle Bramhall II & Glen Hansard." - via Nelson's website
When I asked him about his influences, rather than list artists and bands, he said "I would say it's more genres that are my main influences like traditional blues, country, soul & rock & roll, and then continuously listening to new artists and staying open to new sounds. As I've gotten older I've just become more myself and know what I can do musically, I feel more me basically." If you want to know who what albums he can listen to on repeat, skip to our 5 Quick Questions video.
When we talked about his upcoming single, Yours & Mine, Sobral mentioned that it's his mom's favourite and that his mom and his wife are always the first people who get a chance to weigh in on new music. Considering how many songs Nelson has written, I'd say it's high praise that this new song, is his mom's favourite.
I asked Nelson about the writing and recording of the song. The first line is "Sure as sunshine, you're on my mind," and he said those lyrics fell out with the riff, and he followed the path. It's a song about loving somebody, regardless of who and what they are, the true essence of that person. It's about seeing past the affectations, the clothes we wear, the things we do to fit in society. It's loving someone despite faults and quirkiness, and maybe even because of them. The message is about true love regardless of everyday life.
We also got into details about the recording of the song. Here's what he had to say, "I originally tracked the whole song (drums, guitar, bass & vocals - with Rafael Rodriguez on drums) over at Story Arts Centre with Mike Langford engineering/producing. Unfortunately, the track proved to be unusable, not because of anything Mike or Rafael did or didn't do but because I had recorded it in the wrong key! I realized after letting the recording sit for a few months that pitching it up would benefit my voice and the track, so I set about re-recording all the guitars, bass & vocals at my home studio " Bowery Sound" with Mattie Leon helping to engineer & produce and he also recorded a sweet organ track that sits just right in the song. We were fortunate to not have to re-do Rafael Rodriguez's swaggering, soulful drum track!"
Nelson Sobral's Yours & Mine Lyric Video
The result is sweet and rich. It's a feelgood song that celebrates being ourselves unabashedly. Yours & Mine is catchy and it hums, and Sobral's delivery is comforting and soothing. Coming in at just over three minutes, it's perfect. The beautiful single art was created by his wife Mana and you can check her out by clicking this link.
Nelson Sobral's 9 to 5 job is music. So how's he spending his time and what can you do to support him?
You'll find Sobral writing, practicing, recording and live-streaming every Friday at 3 pm on Instagram & Facebook. And the best way you can support him is by checking out the live streams and connecting on social media, all of which can be accessed through www.nelsonsobralmusic.com and by streaming and buying his music. (links at the bottom of this post)
5 Quick Questions with Nelson Sobral
Nelson Sobral's Links
