Nature (Paul Kelly album)

Nature is the 24th studio album by Australian musician Paul Kelly, released on 12 October 2018.[4]

Nature
Studio album by
Paul Kelly
Released12 October 2018 (2018-10-12)
LabelEMI Music Australia
Paul Kelly chronology
Life Is Fine
(2017)		 Nature
(2018)		 Live in at the Sydney Opera House
(2019)
Singles from Nature
  1. "With the One I Love"
    Released: 10 August 2018 [1]
  2. "A Bastard Like Me"
    Released: 21 September 2018[2]
  3. "And Death Shall Have No Dominion"
    Released: 14 December 2018[3]

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, the album won ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album.

Background and recording

In August 2017, Paul Kelly released his 23rd studio album Life Is Fine. The album was a success, giving Kelly his first ever ARIA number-one album, and winning four ARIA Music Awards at the ARIA Music Awards of 2017.

With most of the songs written over the course of several years and dating back to the recording sessions for albums such as The Merri Soul Sessions, Seven Sonnets & a Song and Life Is Fine, Nature focuses on human nature's small place in the natural world. Kelly said: "I didn't realise I had the makings of another album until I put the songs in a folder and saw the titles staring me in the face. Sometimes you don't know what you're doing until you look back. I think of Nature as a companion piece to Life Is Fine, itself full of moons, rain, rocks, rivers, seas, smells and lovers."[5][6]

"A bastard like me" was written to honour Aboriginal activist Charlie Perkins.[2] The title of the song is taken from Perkins' autobiography, and the video features footage from his life.[7]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Herald Sun[9]
PopMatters[10]

Mikey Cahill from the Herald Sun described how Kelly in Nature is "staying relevant and relishing the opportunity to pump out another 12 mostly great songs."[9] PopMatters' Steve Horowitz opined, "[he] put five classic poems by major writers on his latest album of a dozen songs... While it's wonderful that Kelly brings these words to life for non-poetry readers to enjoy, there is something tawdry about the whole affair."[10]

Brian Parker from Your Music Radar indicated, "Conceptually this album works, where there is something otherworldly about it. It seems to question the existence of nature and the forces of nature, the human soul, the cycle of birth and death, and of the beauty of being alive, in love, but also the gravity of the inevitable."[11]

Track listing

All music written by Paul Kelly and Bill McDonald.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."And Death Shall Have No Dominion"Dylan Thomas2:26
2."With the One I Love"Paul Kelly2:29
3."A Bastard Like Me"Kelly2:34
4."Little Wolf"Kelly2:54
5."With Animals"Walt Whitman2:23
6."Bound to Follow (Aisling Song)" (featuring Kate Miller-Heidke)Kelly4:06
7."Seagulls of Seattle"Kelly3:00
8."Morning Storm"Kelly3:00
9."Mushrooms"Sylvia Plath2:56
10."The River Song"Kelly2:12
11."God's Grandeur"Gerard Manley Hopkins2:17
12."The Trees"Philip Larkin2:23

Personnel
  • Paul Kelly – lead and backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
  • Bill McDonald – bass guitar, arrangement
  • Cameron Bruce – piano, keyboards, organ, backing vocals
  • Ashley Naylor – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Dan Kelly - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Peter Luscombe – drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Kate Miller-Heidke – backing vocals on "Bound to Follow (Aisling Song)"
  • Vika Bull – backing vocals
  • Linda Bull – backing vocals
  • Madeleine Kelly – backing vocals
  • Memphis Kelly – backing vocals
  • Alice Keath – backing vocals

Charts
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 40

See also

References
  1. "Paul Kelly is Back with a Brand New Single". Triple M. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  2. "Paul Kelly 'A Bastard Like Me' Is About Charles Perkins". Noise11. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  3. "Paul Kelly releases video for Dylan Thomas worded 'And Death Shall Have No Dominion'". Noise11. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  4. "Nature by Paul Kelly". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  5. "Paul Kelly has announced details of his upcoming album, 'Nature'". ToneDeaf. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  6. "Paul Kelly to release new album Nature in October". Double J. 9 August 2018. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  7. Smith, Mark J. (17 March 2019). "Charles Perkins: Australia's Nelson Mandela". Alice Springs News. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  8. Nature at AllMusic
  9. Cahill, Mikey (19 October 2018). "New albums: Rüfüs Du Sol, Paul Kelly, Jess Glynne". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  10. Horowitz, Steve (17 October 2018). "Paul Kelly Discovers the Poetry of Nature". PopMatters. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  11. Parker, Brian. "Album Review: Paul Kelly – Nature". Your Music Radar. Your Music Radar. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  12. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  13. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
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