Rise to the Occasion

By Damian Madden - May 20th 2008 7:00 am

With its deft mix of the old and the new Kurt Nilsen's latest album, Rise to the Occasion is the best country album I have heard this year.

Nilsen, who comes from Norway and was the winner of Norway Idol and the first (and only) World Idol, has put together a selection of songs (which he had a large hand in writing) that deliver what a lot of hungry country music fans have been craving for. Beautiful vocals, thoughtful and interesting subject matter and melodies and arrangements that remind you of country artists of old, while at the same time remaining firmly rooted in the modern country aesthetic. This album has it all.

One need only hear the first single, Lost Highway, which features Willie Nelson to know that Nilsen is the real deal. It is easy to understand why Willie agreed to sing this song when Nilsen first played it for him, it sounds just like something the Outlaw would have recorded years ago.

Rise to the Occasion is a brilliant album that deserves to be heard.

Posted in: Reviews | Artist: Kurt Nilsen | Subscribe