Nicolai Dunger's greatest asset is his voice. He's a wholly original singer-- comparisons to Tim Buckley and Van Morrison describe his range, but not his timbre. You can't tell if it's birth, booze or smoking that gave his voice that strained, rough sound, with its patterns of uneven wear; or maybe talent and practice put that craggy edge onto his smooth moans and tuneful wails, insinuating around a lyric and then hitting a note hard, as if he thinks it might hit back. Even his Swedish accent could just be something else that's wrong with his vocal cords.
What's most appealing about his new album, Tranquil Isolation, is its stripped-down acoustic setting: more than his past albums, this one is carried mostly by his singing. Even though at heart he's a singer/songwriter, Dunger's music is hard to pin down. He's wandered through many styles, from the lush pop arrangements of his last release (2001's Soul Rush) to the quizzical instrumentals and jazzbo sidemen on The Vinyl Trilogy, three experimental records that sold in the hundreds.
Dunger has doggedly veered far enough off-course to evade commercial success; yet the depth of his vocals and the unshakable melodies of his songs stay constant. I've also noticed that my wife has kept this latest record propped on her desk so she can keep an eye on the cover photo, which shows Dunger, standing in a wintery field in a sweater and scarf, pretending not to show off his scruffy blond hair and blue eyes. The guy's got fan appeal, no matter how hard he dodges the spotlight.
That may be why the rough edges of this album suit him so well. Dunger made the album with the help of Will and Paul Oldham, the alt-country greats who don't need much introduction in these pages. The Oldhams caught Dunger performing with Mercury Rev and were impressed enough to invite him to their home studio in Shelbyville, Kentucky, where they cut this album in less than a week. Like the title suggests, the record just shifts between three speeds-- easy-going, bluesy, and regular old "mellow." But that doesn't detract from the spontaneous sound that the band brings to the music, or how easily they learned how to push their frontman. The blues jam that opens the disc, "Last Night I Dreamt of Mississippi", introduces the earthy sound of Oldham and Dunger's guitars ringing alongside each other, while Jessica Bailey's raw-toned violin-- the strongest addition to the record-- buzzes right into Dunger's range. Will Oldham also harmonizes beautifully as he sets his clear voice behind Dunger's gnarled lead.