Nathan Singleton & His Sideshow Tragedy

Borrowed Guitars, Unwound Hearts, and Broken Strings

Like the unwieldy title of this debut, Nathan Singleton’s music is a hodgepodge of ideas and sounds. Borrowing from a broad range of other artists can only work if you’re either extraordinarily talented and/or possess the cojones not to care while spilling blood all over the place. While Borrowed Guitars owes most of its success to Singleton’s attitude, his mix of Chris Whitley, the Waterboys, Dylan, and the Old 97’s is unparalleled, at times joyous, otherwise hoary and dark. With producer Gabriel Gonzalez (ex-Sparta), the young Austin singer-songwriter has crafted a true album. Songs like the chugging “Prisoner” and the stifling gloom of “Cannibal Choir” are well at home in their surly blues and forlorn country. “After Love” meanders a bit, and closer “Prayer for a Woman” seems precious after what precedes it, but Singleton and company have created something that pegs him as a talent to watch.

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This article appears in April 20 • 2007.

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