ALBUM REVIEW

MARK NOMAD

All One

Blue Star Records

Pictured sitting on a stool on a porch holding a National Tricone Resonator guitar with a harp on a rack around his neck, Singer/

Songwriter Mark Nomad recorded All One’s 11 songs in the mysteriously credited “Completely live, some place, some time.†Chicago born and bred in the blues, he founded a Connecticut group in the ‘70s called Little Village, in homage to Sonny Boy Williamson II’s not-suitable-for- airplay song from his 1969 LP Bummer Road. Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner also formed a Little Village band in 1992

with the same inspiration for their group’s name. A Massachusetts resident now, Nomad displays a deft touch on his Resonator guitar and his vocals are phrased as if they were conjoined twins with his instrument in their timbre. His harp playing, in the first position, is a pleasant accompaniment to his songs, and an occasional whoop from the small audience at this intimate recording validates his talent. The opening song, “My Mind Gets To Wandering†starts off with his slide work while other songs reveal his talented finger picking skills. He nails the slide precisely on the two Mississippi Fred McDowell songs, “You Got To Move†and “My Trouble Blues†that each elicited more applause. The title cut, “All One,†is saved for last and is worth the wait with his voice offering a delicate intimacy to the words as his harp blows sweetly and the guitar played gently as he sings, “So I take this blues all alone, and make this blues for my own, and I ache with this blues now that she’s gone, alone means all one.†His seven original tunes are complemented by Willie Dixon’s “Mellow Down Easy,†the two McDowell

songs, and Larry Williams’ “Dizzy Miss Lizzy.â€
Nomad has several prior solo acoustic and full band CDs available for

both purchase and to hear on Spotify and iTunes. After you listen to All One, you’ll want to hear more of his talents.

Pete Sardon