A decade ago, journalists, fans, critics, and audiophiles alike were wont to compare Nick Waterhouse to his predecessors. And it was a convenient way to categorize an artist that has since proved uncategorizable – he had a voice that balanced somewhere between Van Morrison and Ray Charles, an aesthetic that caught the attention of style reporters at GQ, an ambitious production vision that stood out among the lo-fi rock and alternative bands of the zeitgeist. And he was disarmingly earnest in his own influences – citing artists like Mose Allison and Them as early inspiration.

But now, coming off of his searching, intimate, self-titled album of 2019 and bringing us Nick Waterhouse Live at Pappy & Harriet’s: In Person from the High Desert in 2020, it’s clear that comparisons, of any kind, no longer suffice. Live at Pappy & Harriet’s came immediately after a long and intense string of European tour dates, which came immediately after a certain reckoning that most musicians encounter at some point, or several points, in their careers: a point where Waterhouse, whose artistry and musicality evokes a blistering energy and drive, was questioning the whole thing – the shows, the exhaustion, the money, the will. It turned out that the excitement and momentum that fueled the 2019 European tour answered those questions in the resounding positive.

And Live at Pappy & Harriet’s reflects the work of an artist who has seen some things. He’s studied, he’s composed, he’s receptive, he’s loose, and he’s gotten to know his own artistic practice in a way that shows up, fiery and raw, on this live, hometown record.