Scott Tuma - Not For Nobody

Scott Tuma
Not For Nobody
(03.2008, Digitalis)
Verdict = Blissful Guitar and Experiments

Usually albums focused on a single instrument are bent on either the virtuosity of the player and the extremes of the instruments capabilities. On Scott Tuma’s third album, Not For Nobody, Tuma leaves himself and his acoustic guitar out of the spotlight and has chosen to highlight an albums worth of simple, beautiful melodies with entrancing results. The whole of the album whispers of Tuma’s humble genius with his subtle, alluring musical motifs. I suppose calling this simply an acoustic guitar album is a bit of a disservice to Not For Nobody seeing as how Tuma has painstakingly added a series of sparse experimentations and simplistic instrumental accompaniments (the pinnacle of which is Jason Ajemain’s string addition on “Loversrock1”) throughout his magnificently blissful opus, however, it is his acoustic guitar which strings the tracks together like a lazy piece of windy old yarn. And Tuma’s yarn carves a beautiful path indeed, folky ballads reminiscent of the heartfelt innocence of childhood, Not For Nobody is the perfect antidote to stress and the best companion to sentimental memories. The album opens and closes with ghostly reverb laden vocals that seem to mark your entrance and departure from an album that inhabits a place that is truly otherworldly, magical and unique. Not For Nobody is absolutely timeless and definitely one of the best releases of the year thus far.

-Mr. Thistle

Clips from Not For Nobody on Boomkat