“Bigger Than Me”, Nic Paton’s second album of personal songs, distills over 2 decades of songwriting into 12 guitar-led tracks, in a 2021 exploration of of the classic craft. Get it here.
Following on (in extravagantly prolonged slo-mo) from his singer-songwriter debut “The Middle Of It All” (2004), “Bigger Than Me” further explores themes of belonging, nostalgia, comfort and hope from the perspective of the outsider, the voice of the bard on the edges of conventional life.
While choral and neo-classical projects have dominated his recent artistic output, (specifically “The One” and “Valley Of The Shadow”), this album is very personal, and in his own voice, both literally and thematically. The collection features ample string arrangements, refined, eclectic production and fulsome vocals.
At times weary and wistful, and at others almost jubilant, the title track (see video above) is a swaggering declaration of our place in the much broader scheme of things. The poignant ballad “Father To Your Child” was penned in the last few days of his father’s life, and was the last thing of substance shared between them.
In a similar vein, “Mary” is a paean to Mary Guibert, mother of rock icon Jeff Buckley, who suffered losing both him and singer father Tim Buckley, both very young.
And the closing track suggests that perhaps our best effort is after all, to simply “Let It All Go”.