Nick Shaheen & Assoc.

Music – Chicago

With so much new music being discovered and thousands of sub-genres being spat out these days, sometimes the most impressive releases have a worn-in, overtly familiar feeling. In the case of Chicago singer/songwriter Nick Shaheen\'s debut \"Don\'t Give Up On Me,\" it\'s a simple backbone: wading on the shores of the last sixty years of Americana, the young upstart visits topics well beyond his years with a relatable, honed-in delivery that calls to mind some of the genres greatest voices. Recorded over two years in various measures - apartments, studios, and even iPhones - this first outing is rife with pain and joy, both equally presented with the same disarming honesty. /// Wrapping the entire project under the name \'Don\'t Give Up On Me\' was nearly last-minute. \"I was still figuring out the track order, but it seemed like (the title track) was always going to be first (on the album),\" Shaheen says. As he and bandmate Will were bike-riding up and down the California coast, Shaheen \"noticed a lot of these old houses and cars with this weathered, sandblasted look and the idea they were all calling out \'Don\'t give up on me\' popped into my head.\" Some may call such an idea chilling - that we\'re all just temporary and can be wiped away by just existing - but when you realize that it holds true for all of us, it\'s strangely comforting. Just like every track on this record.