In “It’s All Blue,” Nathaniel Paul strips music to its purest form with one man, one guitar, one harmonica, and one sacred space. Captured in a single, uninterrupted take at the legendary Leighton Concert Hall in South Bend, Indiana, this acoustic performance is a spiritual experience. No filters, no overdubs, just 18 meticulously placed microphones and a voice echoing in one of the finest acoustic spaces in the country.
“It’s All Blue” is a gentle pilgrimage through memory, nature, and the revelations that bloom when we slow down. The track opens with soft, careful guitar strums, Paul‘s deep voice unfolding like a conversation with the landscape. He sings, “there is a road out in the desert, it’s well unknown,” showing us how intriguing simple natural views can be with a hopeful, quiet and meaningful touch. When his harmonica floats in, it breathes, sighs, and lingers in the air like a distant wind. Seeing him do all that in real time with no cuts really gets us impressed with his control.
What makes the song magnetic is its simplicity. The lyrics are poetic yet grounded, reflecting a kind of Americana mysticism. When he sings, “so if you live your whole life through and you don’t look up, then you never knew that through the clouds above… it’s all blue,” you realize you haven’t had the time to ponder and to observe the goodness around you yet. There’s a steady vulnerability in Paul’s performance, and the live concert hall setting becomes an invisible duet partner, resonating with every note and shaping the emotional weight of the moment.
A preview of his upcoming album with The Bergamot and the Notre Dame Children’s Choir, “It’s All Blue” is available on YouTube for your listening and viewing.
STAY IN TOUCH:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | SPOTIFY | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Review by: Naomi Joan