Some longtime fans may question whether it's ethical for Mato Nanji to keep using the
Indigenous moniker now that he is the only remaining original member, his various siblings having vacated for whatever reason. Granted, Nanji has always been the prime mover of
Indigenous, the chief songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, and overall leader, so if anyone has the right to claim the name it would be him. Nonetheless,
The Acoustic Sessions comes down to Mato, wife Leah Nanji on background vocals, producer/instrumentalist Jamie Candiloro, and violinist
Lisa Germano, and with the track list drawn mostly from previous
Indigenous albums it has the feel of a chapter end or a marker more than a new beginning. The stripped-down remakes of tunes like "Things We Do," "Rest of My Days," "Little Time," and "Want You to Say" often sound like demos rather than finished tracks, but at the same time there is a charm to these lighter-weight renditions. A relatively unaltered cover of "You Got It," the latter-day
Roy Orbison gem, wraps things up and fits in well. Whether any of this is an indication of
Indigenous' future direction, or even whether Nanji will keep the name going, remains to be seen, but as a stopgap in the catalog,
The Acoustic Sessions is a worthwhile but not essential release. ~ Jeff Tamarkin