Review of Nadine - Back to My Senses

Back to My Senses is a stellar debut album from the St. Louis based quartet, Nadine. The band, who consists of Adam Reichmann (vocals, guitar), Todd Schnitzer (base), Bill Reyland (drums), and multi-instrumentalist Steve Rauner, have drawn many comparisons to a young Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. 

Even so, their serrated six-string sound feels like it was inspired by repeated listenings to Neil Young's Tonight's the Night. While songs like "Dark Light" and "Brother" find Nadine in Crazy Horse guitar-burn mode, most cuts have a strong country flavor. Tracks such as "Laura" and "Face to Face" embody this element with their Southern twang and down home feel.

Lyrically, the band strives to depict small town middle America with all of its frustrations and squandered hopes, but with an underlying current of optimism for the future. Co-producer Michael Praytor (Wilco and Uncle Tupelo) creates an eerie atmospheric tension that fully exposes lead-singer Reichmann's dark lyrical landscapes. 

Nadine, at their best, blends the serenity of the Grand Canyon's widespaces with the paranoia of the inner city, and in the process, create a unique, slo-fi style. They are an important and much overlooked new band that truly defies categorization.

Released Date: 1997
Glitterhouse Records
Germany

Tracks:
Brother
Face to Face
Back to My Senses
David Bromberg
Sleep Next to You
All Things Considered
Machines
Laura Sue
Dark Light
Here to Amuse You

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