Music: The Cloud Hymn: A Seed Buried In The Ground

Our Take

Wisconsin based acoustic folk act The Cloud Hymn is the latest in a long line of musicians who have opted to go it alone and make music by themselves under a title other than their name. But while The Cloud Hymn with material written solely by John Nielsen, unlike other solo artists Nielsen utilizes both a backup female singer and a piano player. And while the songs on the group’s debut A Seed Buried In The Ground unfortunately tend to blend together a little too often, the occasional surprises brought by the duets and piano work will keep this album from succumbing to repetition.

Chances are if you are familiar with acoustic folk in any shape or form, the style of The Cloud Hymn’s music will instantly seem familiar as well. At its core A Seed Buried In The Ground offers the traditional arrangements that are melodic yet somber, and just about every song follows this pattern of melancholic acoustic guitar paired with John Nielsen’s wonderful vocal talents. But just as the guitar melodies start to become in danger of becoming stale, elements such as Tani Alyssa’s backup vocals and Paul Brandt’s piano playing come into play. And suddenly, just as quickly as this album seemed as though it was about to become stale, it is new again and just as engaging as before. By doing so, Nielsen ensures that listeners will pay further attention to his music, and hear him out on the personal topics that he has chosen to discuss.

A Seed Buried In The Ground is a very impressive debut from an artist whose style is melancholic and somber, but not depressing. John Nielsen will need to realize that further down the road the sudden inclusion of Tani Alyssa’s wonderful singing and Paul Brandt’s piano playing will no longer be as surprising and mood changing as they are on this debut. Because of this, the guitar work will need to improve next time around and add some more hooks to ensure that The Cloud Hymn stays continuously fresh. But for now listeners should just enjoy what John Nielsen and his friends have to offer, as A Seed Buried In The Ground has plenty of staying power.

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Chris Dahlberg
February 03, 2009