Search - Beaver Nelson :: Little Brother

By the time of the 2000 release of this, his sophomore disc, Austin singer-songwriter Beaver Nelson had long been pegged a rising star on his local scene. At its finer moments, Little Brother flashes the skills that fueled such fuss. A pair of Stonesy rockers set the early tone, with Nelson claiming the role of scrappy underdog in "Fallen Down" and "Your Little Girl." Toward album's end, "I Like Girls" skillfully mixes wit and wistfulness, while the moody closer "My Bones Will Be the Picture Frame" proves Nelson's ability to take the tempo down a notch. His thin, sometimes forced vocals won't win any prizes, but Nelson's delivery fits his stance as beleaguered Everyman. And though his band doesn't always find its mark when aiming higher than roots-rock convention (as in the funk stab "Fever Kept Me Up All Night" and "Remnant," which tries to ride a revved-up military marching beat), it earns points for effort. If uneven, Little Brother is an engaging second effort from an artist with plenty of promise. --Anders Smith-Lindall