Daily News, Los Angeles (December, 2001)
Joe Nolan/"Plain Jane" (Joe Nolan)
A singer-songwriter whose dense, descriptive poetry is almost on par with his harmonica idol Dylan and whose street-corner sentimentality turns tuneful circles around Billy Joel, Nolan is an exuberant romantic who rarely allows his lyrical enthusiasm to get ahead of his insights.
He can sing about a shipwreck, a likable if undertalented club entertainer or an assortment of flawed but nonetheless adored young women with equal authority and in lovingly observed specifics.
He even works a creaky carnival metaphor with witty originality. This is smart folk-pop of the highest order, and it's no small crime that a talent as big as Nolan has to sell the stuff himself. So buy it already, at www.joenolan.com
4 stars, Bob Strauss
back to press