SAN JUAN STREET, the new album by Austin’s Shawn Nelson, captures expertly Nelson’s best: his rich, round, reedy vocals; listenable lyrics; and master-level multi-instrumental skill.

SAN JUAN STREET, which was recorded at Guzman Fox Studios in Austin, produced and engineered by Joel Guzman, mixed by Bradley Kopp, and mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering in Boulder, Colo., has something for every music lover — from the South of the Border-flavored title track, featuring Mexican horn and mandolin and beat; the haunting “Down Here,” with its rock ’n’ roll-driven guitar and fiddle; and “Hit the Road,” a pure-D, long-voweled country love song with the smart lyrical twists and turns found in most of Nelson’s originals.

Nelson — who counts electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica, trombone, and coronet among the instruments he plays on the new album — has toured extensively, especially across Texas. His first three albums, SHAWN NELSON AND THE RAMBLERS (November 2004), LIVE FROM ANTONE’S (November 2005) and AIN’T NO EASY WAY (March 2009), yielded songs that have evolved into favorites for fans and band.

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From THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE:

"He's been bouncing around Austin since at least 2003. Still, no one would have picked Shawn Nelson to make one of this year's best country albums. San Juan Street finds the local working with some of the most sympathetic players he's ever had the pleasure of collaborating with while also demonstrating above-average writing skills. Produced by accordion master Joel Guzman and featuring guitarist Matt Slusher and bassist Will Dupuy (formerly of South Austin Jug Band), plus Ephraim Owens on trumpet and Trisha Keefer on fiddle, Nelson mixes and matches styles flawlessly."

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From TWANGVILLE:

"The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shawn Nelson. What do they have in common? Anthems about being a free spirit. You undoubtedly know about Ramblin’ Man and Free Bird. In the case of Shawn Nelson, it’s Nobody Got A Hold On Me, the first track on his 4th release, San Juan Street. Stylistically the song is kind of a mash-up of Ryan Bingham and Old Crow Medicine Show. But it also has some southern rock roots. And it’s a good harbinger of the material to come on the album."

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