Topaz
A black-and-white photo of the artist wearing a poncho, stood in front of a circle containing a psychedelic mess of colors over a plain black background.
Studio album by
Israel Nash
ReleasedMarch 12, 2021
StudioPlum Creek Sound, Dripping Springs, Texas
GenreCountry rock
Length44:42
Label
  • Loose
  • Desert Folklore
  • Soundly
Producer
Israel Nash chronology
Lifted
(2018)		 Topaz
(2021)		 Ozarker
(2023)
Singles from Topaz
  1. "Canyonheart"
    Released: October 30, 2020

Topaz is an album by American musician Israel Nash, released on March 12, 2021, via Loose Music,[1] Desert Folklore Music, and Soundly Music.[2] The album, recorded in Nash's Plum Creek Sound studio in Texas, was first announced in December 2020, subsequent to the release of lead single "Canyonheart".[3][4]

Reception

Topaz ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
PopMatters7/10[6]
Uncut8/10[7]

Review aggregator Metacritic gave Topaz a weighted average score of 81/100, based on 4 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5] Glide Magazine's Jim Hynes called the album "less dense" than Nash's previous release Lifted, and said the album has a "meaty rock foundation with touches of psychedelia and skylark folk that fans have come to love", but "now with soulful heft that nods to Muscle Shoals and Memphis, which in one sense, makes it a bit more tangible than his previous work. Yet it remains moody and vast, cohesive and compelling."[8] For Americana Highways, Andrew Gulden wrote that the album "doubles down on [Nash's] expansive aura while maintaining a dreamy-folk intimacy."[9] PopMatters' Steve Horowitz wrote that "the songs capture the [Texas Hill Country's] landscape's barrenness in a manner reminiscent of 1970s Pink Floyd records or prog-rock of the 1980s where the vastness of the mind was recapitulated in the spaces between the musical notes -- in this case, in service of cosmic country rock."[6] The New Statesman's Ellen Peirson-Hagger, in a review focused on the album's political lyrical content, wrote that "Nash leans into clichés of the country genre, as if towing the line of just how many of its tropes he can get away with using while he figures out his place in the culture", while expressing disappointment in saying "However, I can't help but think how much more zest these tracks would have were they more direct in their lyrical intent."[1] Per Uncut's Andrew Mueller, the album is "a fine racket" of "sumptuous country-soul, leaning heavily on the brass, most obviously evocative of the more ruminative records of Neil Young, or the rockier edges of Rodney Crowell", and "a languid and gently uplifting work" which is "at its best when its angriest."[7]

Year-end lists

Topaz on year-end lists
Publication # Ref.
American Songwriter 4 [10]
Gaffa 3 [11]
God Is in the TV 25 [12]
Uncut 46 [13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Israel Nash.

Topaz track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Dividing Lines"4:49
2."Closer"5:33
3."Down in the Country"3:34
4."Southern Coasts"3:36
5."Stay"5:05
6."Canyonheart"3:51
7."Indiana"3:23
8."Howling Wind"4:51
9."Sutherland Springs"4:41
10."Pressure"5:19
Total length:44:42

Personnel

  • Israel Nash – vocals, guitar, production, engineering
  • Adrian Quesada – electric guitar, co-production
  • Edward Brailiff – piano
  • Josh Fleischmann – drums, percussion
  • Scott Davis – bass
  • Roger Sollenberger – electric guitar
  • Derek Phelps – trumpet
  • Joe Woullard – baritone saxophone
  • Jason Frey – tenor saxophone
  • Eric Swanson – pedal steel guitar, electric guitar, harmonies
  • Sam Powell – piano, organ, synth
  • Curtis Roush – electric guitar
  • Ed Jarusinsky – drums, percussion
  • Seth Kauffman – drums, percussion, bass
  • Jacob Rodriguez – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
  • Rockyanne Bullwinkel – background vocals
  • Jenny Carson – background vocals
  • Taylor Torres – engineering
  • Matt Gerhard – engineering
  • Kevin Ratterman – mixing, mastering

Charts

Chart performance for Topaz
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[14] 33
Swedish Vinyl Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 4
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[16] 13

References

  1. 1 2 Peirson-Hagger, Ellen (March 10, 2021). "Israel Nash's Topaz: sun-baked country rock in need of some frankness". New Statesman. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Topaz". Spotify. March 12, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Israel Nash Announces New LP Topaz, Shares "Canyonheart"". Glide Magazine. December 4, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  4. ↑ Nash, Israel (October 30, 2020). Canyonheart. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Topaz by Israel Nash Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. March 12, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Horowitz, Steve (March 16, 2021). "Israel Nash Creates Cosmic Country Rock on Topaz". PopMatters. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Mueller, Andrew. "Israel Nash - Topaz". Uncut. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  8. ↑ Hynes, Jim (March 9, 2021). "Israel Nash Roams Freely on Spacious & Hypnotic Topaz (Album Review)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  9. ↑ Gulden, Andrew (March 9, 2021). "Review: Israel Nash Topaz Is Expansive Aura". Americana Highways. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  10. ↑ "The 41 Best Albums of 2021". American Songwriter. December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Årets bästa utländska album 2021" [Best foreign album of the year 2021]. Gaffa (in Swedish). December 12, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  12. ↑ Etheridge, Loz (December 8, 2021). "God Is in the TV Albums of 2021". God Is in the TV. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Uncut's Best New Albums of 2021". Uncut. December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Veckolista Vinyl, vecka 11". Sverigetopplistan (in Swedish). Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
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