NELSON SOBRAL KICKS OUT OLD SCHOOL ROOTS ROCK JAMS ON três!
When you inject Americana with a hard-edged, urban blast of gritty Midwest blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and northern soul, it adopts an entirely new identity, one of overpasses, subway trains, and the grit of city streets. That’s also the sound of Toronto-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Nelson Sobral.
On his third album, três!—the title a nod to his Portuguese heritage—Sobral kicks out seven rough-and-ready rockers in the finest Rolling Stones / Black Crowes / Replacements tradition, a feat even more remarkable given he played nearly all the instruments himself. After laying down the rhythm guitar parts with drummer Stefan Loebus live-off-the-floor at RHC Music’s Toronto studio, Nelson took the tapes home and overdubbed bass, lead guitars, vocals, and percussion, before handing things off to Mattie Leon to add keyboards.
Still, capturing the chemistry of a full band remained paramount for Sobral, and he believes he accomplished that goal. Nelson says,
“Over time, I’ve become more confident and assertive in my abilities as a musician and songwriter, as well as who I am as a person. It’s all freed me up to just enjoy the process of creating. I don’t get hung up on a lot of things other than whether I like it or not. I used to worry whether something might sound like something else, but now I just credit it to sounding like myself.”
On top of each song on três! boasting an unstoppable groove, the album is a showcase for Sobral’s soulful voice. From the opening track “Love Is A Fool’s Game,” the combination of crunchy guitars and powerful vocals leaps out of the speakers with a vintage sound that few current bands—let alone solo artists—can deliver. That vibe is also present on standout tracks such as “Hang On” and “Twice The Price,” but dig a little beneath the surface, and other songs reveal deeper meaning.
Nelson explains,
“I wrote ‘Must’ve Done Something Right’ on vacation with my family in Japan. It’s a reflection on my relationship with my wife and kids that I never would have written while living our regular life in the city. I also wrote ‘Reign Again’ for my oldest son Reign. We used to have fun singing it when he was a baby. On the other hand, ‘Fall From Grace’ is about a friend who took his own life. I don’t write many ‘story’ songs, but I’m proud of how it captures the time we spent together in Nashville. The title is borrowed from one of his unreleased songs, so it’s really a tribute to him.”
Having now experimented with different styles of roots music over the course of three albums, Sobral describes his writing process as compartmentalizing. Whether dabbling in folk, soul, country, or rock ‘n’ roll, he tries to maintain a consistent vibe with whatever project he’s working on. With três!, he knew the minute the bed tracks were finished that he had a full-blown rocker on his hands.
At the same time, Sobral continues to bring listeners together underneath his wide canopy of influences and styles. What binds his work is the undeniable energy he puts into it, ranging from the rumble of car wheels on a gravel road to the barrelling rhythm of a Toronto streetcar.