On his debut album, Finnish artist Nick Meltio is able to dive deep into the essence of Americana.
The fact that Americana has become a world music phenomenon is nothing new, particularly these days when the internet takes you anywhere on this planet. The only question there is how well and how deep can an artist, from those ‘non-American’ locations suss the essence of the genre, or, putting it in more mundane terms, how can they ‘feel it.’ That last thought brings us to ‘Desert Bound,’ the debut album by Finnish artist (and studio/record label owner) Nick Meltio. Meltio both recorded and produced the album himself in his studio with the help of Pete Lyman who mastered the album in Nashville, giving it that Americana touch.
From ‘Fade Away,’ the opening track here, you could sense that, yes, Meltio can ‘feel it,’ possibly resulting from the fact that he was brought up by a country musician. The roots songwriting style Meltio incorporates here stems all the way back to The Band (evident on songs like ‘When The Dark Comes Around,’), and is propped by some very good to excellent backing, nicely covering Meltio’s non-native English that is well covered throughout.
It is quite evident that for his songwriting sources, Meltio went to all the original sources, whether it is soul country or delta blues (like on ‘Hard Times’), showing not only his knowledge but also his understanding of the sources. It seems to have been an unconscious process since he notes that he wrote and performed the album as if he was doing it only for himself and those close to him. Yet, whatever that process was, it obviously worked. This is a substantial record.
