Nevertheless – When I’m With you (ep) – Red Cord Records – Released 8/18/09 – Reviewed By Tyler Hess

When I first heard that Nevertheless was recording an acoustic ep, my interest naturally piqued due to my affection for their full length from last year, In The Making…, which made my top ten list of 2008.  I wondered how they would fare with the stripped down version of the band, since it works better for some bands than others.  After hearing it just one time I realized that they probably had to do less stripping down of their music than any band ever had to in order to call it an acoustic album, differentiating it from their regular work.  The process is so smooth and natural that it is hard to tell that the music is all that much different from what they normally do anyway.  If it weren’t for the obvious strumming of the guitar, I really don’t know if I would have even noticed a difference if no one had told me in the first place.

The songs are very clearly written about the love they have for their wives, so it is pretty easy to follow what is going on in each song, there isn’t a whole lot of mystery to the lyrics.  As someone who recently was married after a semi-long distance relationship I can relate fairly easy to the band’s desire to be with their wives rather than being on the road, though I’m glad I only had to go a few days without seeing my then girlfriend/fiance rather than six weeks at a time.  I really think that this can relate to anyone who has ever just wanted to be with the love of their lives instead of anywhere else.  On the other hand, there will probably be more than a few people who would rather not think about such things, so just know that you have been warned that this is really a collection of love songs, so enter at your own risk.  Still, these are some rather upbeat songs that are fun to listen to, so if you have liked Nevertheless before then this shouldn’t change your mind.

Grade: A

Tracklisting:

1. I Can’t Help It

2. Look What You’ve Done

3. Stay (In My Arms)

4. Here With Me

5. In or Out