Let's play a game of "good news/bad news." I'll deal with the bad news first: Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band have gone on an indefinite hiatus. The good news is that Join Us For A Few, the band's third studio album, is finally available digitally after being a vinyl-only release for a few months. I hear a phrase like "indefinite hiatus" and can't help but wonder if I'll ever have the chance to review this band again. I suppose that depends on how long I keep wiring about music. As it is, an album release from Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band is a rare occurrence. There was a six-year gap between Promises To Deliver and Flyover and nearly a seven-year gap between Flyover and Join Us For A Few. I've spoken frequently about Promises To Deliver being one of my favorite records of this particular century, and I think my personal connection to that album has led me to undervalue its successor, Flyover. It's never quite fair to judge one record in comparison to another, and I don't want to make the mistake of putting Join Us For A Few in competition with either of its predecessors.
So let's talk about what Join Us For A Few is: it's the work of a great American rock 'n' roll band led by a songwriter who always knows how to balance heart & grit with tuneful melodies and sing-along choruses. Over the years, this band has honed its craft and established itself as a quintessential rootsy bar band. The punk roots are still there in spirit, but the songs on this record are given plenty of room to breathe, typically falling into the four–five minute range. The band is again pulling from 20th century meat & potatoes Americana — blending early rock 'n' roll with country, rhythm & blues, and folk rock influences. The band, seasoned by years and years on the road, has never sounded better. And Nato Coles has fully come into his own as a songwriter. I probably did him a disservice in the past by emphasizing some of his musical influences rather than focusing on what's unique and appealing about him as an artist. He personifies heart-on-sleeve sincerity, and time and life have only amplified his talents. This album has some top-quality punchy rockers in "Hiraeth" and "Can't Get My Mind Off Of You." But it's the ballads and semi-ballads that are the real heart and soul of the record. When a songwriter can get to the point where their ballads are songs you actually look forward to as opposed to merely tolerate, that's when you know they've mastered their craft. You have to be pretty confident to start an album with a five-minute mellow jam like "The 4th of July," but there's no doubt that this was the perfect opener. It's anthemic, soulful, and moving. Similarly, "Strangers' Backyards" and "Fire Without a Flame" are as powerful and poignant as any song Nato has ever written. The band also reworked one of its most beloved songs, "Midnight In Memphis" (from its split with State Drugs), and made it even better. And how about a cover of The Brains' new wave hit "Money Changes Everything" (famously covered by Cyndi Lauper) completely revamped to conjure late night barroom regret?
Let's be clear: a hiatus, even when indefinite, is not necessarily a closing of the book. If I had to put money on it, I'd bet on this not being the last we hear from Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band. But if this is the last we hear from the band for a good while, they are are hitting pause on a high note. The album title is welcoming by design. It summarizes the very spirit of this band. These are guys who will play their hearts out for you and then sit and drink with you. Join Us For A Few is essentially a hang session with your drinking buddies. These songs mix sadness and heartache with hope and joy. They tell stories and reflect on life. They represent what is best about music: its capacity to form connections between people. This band can still rock with the best of 'em, but it's the songs that really stand out. If you're a longtime fan and have been waiting, as I have, for Join Us For A Few to make its way to a digital platform, you will not be disappointed. And if you've yet to be initiated into the world of Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band, this is a fine place to start. In a year full of great rock 'n' roll albums, this one is very worthy of your consideration.
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