This collection of
Mike Nolan's music -- garage-recorded from 1996 to 1998 in an unadulterated "dry" sound -- offers closely miked acoustic guitars that belie the texture of plectrum on wound string. As such,
Venus bares the broken-armed, statuesque beauty of frozen moments of lost love ("In Your Arms Again"), identity crisis ("Sea"), sad nostalgia ("Jeannee's Come Back"), and other such personal topics, and does so with honesty and alacrity.
Venus is an example of that contemporary, pumped-up folk-rock that can entertain from a stage in either a coffeehouse or a bar. The arrangements of this fine recording contain both acoustic and electric guitars.
Venus is a solid and impressive collection of rockers and ballads from an obviously talented singer and songwriter.