Review: Black Sheep by Nat & Alex Wolff

Black Sheep by Nat & Alex Wolff
Label: Saddleup Records
Release Date: October 11th, 2011

1. Illuminated
2. Thump Thump Thump
3. Maybe
4. Disappointed
5. 18
6. Greatest Prize
7. Lullaby
8. Colorful Raindrops
9. Monday Afternoons
10. Losing You to the Crowd
11. I Won't Love You Any Less

"Their lyrics flow so well, hold deeper meaning, are relate-able, and are incredibly complex."

 If you asked me roughly two months ago about The Naked Brothers Band, I would not have ever believed you if you told me that Nat and Alex had released new music. I used to occasionally watch TNBB when I was younger, but I totally forgot about them until Nat Wolff was said to be a potential actor for Augustus Waters in TFiOS. One random day, I was looking him up, and I found out about this album. I never expected to love it the way I do now. For a few weeks, I was just raving on Twitter about them/the album. To be quite honest, I still freak out about, whether I voice that online or not, a lot once in a while.

When you listen to the album, it's so hard to believe that the two boys wrote these songs. The lyrics and meaning behind most of the songs on the album are so beyond their years. It's diverse, yet cohesive. They are so incredibly talented (I mean, come on, they were writing almost all, if not all, of the songs for The Naked Brothers Band before the age of ten). Their lyrics flow so well, hold deeper meaning, are relate-able, and are incredibly complex. The songs cover a wide range of ideas, problems, thoughts, and feelings. They have already come so far and will continue to go even further, working on their craft and really becoming an amazing duo.

I'm also so impressed by the fact that they played the background music themselves (I believe). They cover such a large range of instruments, but even many singer-songwriters don't play almost all the instruments for their tracks.

One of the most interesting aspects for me is their voices/vocals. Obviously their voices have changed since I last heard their music. They're not little kids anymore, as shown through this album and through their age. Nat's voice has completely changed, and while some people may not like his sound at times, I find it to be really unique, and I can see why some of his inspirations are his inspirations. It's not actually as deep as one might expect, but there's an edge to his voice, and he still knows how to control his voice very well. Most of the songs/his songs are kept within his range, and it works so well. With Alex, it's a bit more awkward because he was going through puberty right when they started promoting this album. His voice was changing and became so much deeper than it had been, becoming even deeper than his brother's voice. He still does well, and his singing is also incredibly controlled. You can see their natural talent shine through, and I'm so glad they're able to continue to release music, especially since they highlight such positive changes and such raw talent. 

Their general musicality is such a gift. There's such a range of songs on this album, and there's music for whatever mood I'm in. I can relate to so many of the meanings behind the songs, and it's amazing to think that these brothers, who are so close to my age (I believe Alex is a few months younger than me), have created this album. I'm so glad to have found this album, and I highly recommend it. It's become one of my favorite albums, and it truly shines.