Nick Norton - Sentimentalist

The last time I saw Nick Norton play he was fronting his band Gang Awry and playing for covers band Bust A Groove on the side and both bands had a bit of a local cult following at the time. These days Nick Norton is still making music but his direction has changed somewhat. Seemingly older and wiser Nicks new sound still has an outrageous amount of funk but has more of an easy listening feel and less of the Rock that frequented his older stuff.

Going solo this time, Nick has recently put out his latest offering, album Sentimentalist featuring very talented Bass player Tim Wilson, who has managed to speak Nicks language of Funk fluently and deliver some amazing bass riffs. The first and title track Sentimentalist is one of the better tracks on the album and had my 15 month old nephew grooving like no tomorrow when I played it in the car. Other tracks that were stand outs to me include my favourite Wait Up which is slower but has such a nice smooth flow to the vocals unlike a few of the other punchier tracks which sometimes sound a little frantic and disjointed. It has such a beautiful chorus that has me singing every time. Another great track track is Option Urge, it has such a toe tapping, head bobbing beat to it.

With this album being in the Jazz, Funk genre, it's not what I'd normally listen to and it left me craving the Rock stuff he used to do. It was a little too laid back for me, but after a few listens it definitely has its high points lyrically and musically, and is the perfect warming addition for a chilly lazy Sunday afternoon.