The story so far...
The Anglo/Irish singer/songwriter and actor spent over 18 months writing and recording his second solo album ‘Well Well’ released on 13th September 2019 by Keo Records. It was recorded in Southampton at Hightown Studios by Tali Trow with some of the best session musicians in the country.
An original oil painting for the album artwork was specially painted by Eddie Argos from Art Brut.
The album was mixed by Sam Williams (Plan B, Gaz Coombes etc) and is available on heavyweight vinyl, CD and download.
As the lead singer and songwriter for indie rock band The Foxes, Nigel enjoyed several UK Indie Chart top ten hits, toured the world and recorded and released an acclaimed album mixed by John Cornfield (Supergrass, Razorlight, Muse) at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall.
After The Foxes disbanded, Nigel took the solo road, and to great success. Counting among his fans Mike Batt (who asked Nigel to sing in a special one-off performance of his new musical ‘Men Who March Away’ in 2017) Blur's Dave Rowntree and Indie mogul Alan McGee, Nigel followed the success of his first single "Fever" and released his debut full length album 'Travelling Man' (recorded at Tilehouse Studios by Luke Oldfield (Mike's son) and mastered by John Davis (Led Zeppelin, Lana Del Rey, U2, Kaiser Chiefs) at Metropolis) to critical acclaim in March 2016, enjoying TV and radio support.
'A piano plays in an empty room.
Shimmering shadows.
Then a mass, a mess, of drums and harmonica.
Delta blues from the Home Counties. Southern comforts.
The opening track “Rita” is so far removed from the sort of faux sincerity of some singer-songwriters, so far away from the phoney romance of certain stars, so distant from being concerned with being of the moment that it sounds like it has arrived from some parallel universe where people care more about talent, ability and honesty than they do about haircuts and swagger. The giddy rush of "Stepping Up" is a track about those situations we find ourselves in when you don't know exactly what to say in every situation; "Many times in my life it would probably have been better for me to have said 'de da do' rather than what I ended up saying… then again, sometimes you have to step up and be bold and take a risk and speak."
"I've Seen Forever" was written for a dear friend of Nigel's who has been through a lot in her life and horribly treated in a relationship. It's a song of being yourself and never changing and love finding you and Thomas works hard to make songs so delightful, clever, layered and beautiful sound improvised and simple…they sound intimate. "Your Fire" is arguably Nigel's most passionate song on the album with his love of London running through it. "Well Well", is a beautifully piano led track about endings and nostalgia, filled with moments where the music sounds like the score to the haziest half-dreams of imagined summers days.
“Alchemy Rose” kicks off the second half of the album with a punch and touches on the modern world we live in, a song about the dangers of believing everything you read, especially on the internet and how easy it is to repost something you've seen without checking whether it's genuine. "I've Been Thinking" is the flip side of daydreaming and not always taking action. Nigel cleverly asks, 'why?' "Spinning" discussing one of the great dangers in modern life and times… following the herd without stopping to think for yourself.
Take a moment to breathe…that's the message behind "Settle Down". Think before you act, something we are all guilty of not doing. The world would be a little better if we all took a moment out to practice this simple, yet effective exercise. The ghost of George Formby looms large on "Smiling and Laughing", a track originally written for a short film starring Ewan Mcintosh (yes, Keith from The Office), it's cheerful melody contrasts it's dark lyrics, in the same way anyone can hide behind a smile. This is an album with enough catchy tunes, clever lines, heart breaking rhymes and beautiful tones to make any day feel better.'