Though
American Romance
is technically a debut,
Lukas Nelson
is hardly a beginner. Between 2008 and 2024, he was the leader of
Promise of the Real
, a ragged Americana band who sometimes backed up
Neil Young
on-stage and made records of their own that gradually grew to include elements of jam-band searching and danceable grooves amongst their twangy roots rock. As the son of country legend
Willie Nelson
,
was born into his musical path to a degree, and while
is his first solo outing, it comes after decades of work in his own lifetime, and under the incalculable personal and musical influence of his bloodline. All of that being said, there's still a kind of first-go-round charm to these 12 tunes. Even though
Nelson
has penned dozens of songs at this point, the material on
feels wide-eyed and at times even naïve. He sings about spending his best years touring and wondering if it's too late to reconsider his life choices on the excitable rocker "Born Runnin' Outta Time," but the song's eager energy and straightforward arrangement make it feel like the work of someone just starting out. The way the song wears its
Tom Petty
influence so proudly also makes it feel more like an openhearted work of nascent inspiration than something an industry-hardened career musician would make. Though
's backing players are solid (and production from fellow country-rock footstep-follower
Shooter Jennings
is crisp), the absence of
's muscular, locked-in presence gives the songs a lighter feel and puts the focus more on the singing and songwriting. "Make You Happy" moves between airy, almost fragile verses and choruses that switch gears to the kind of groove-centered country-soul that
PotR
sometimes explored. "Outsmarted" is a grinning romp with bluegrass fiddle runs and spirals of pedal steel guitar carefully dialed into a supportive role beneath
's lyrical narrative. The lyrics of the album's restrained title track write out picture postcards of scenes from growing up in the American heartland, "Ain't Done" adds a little bluesy pleading to the mix, and "Disappearing Light" is a reflective, plaintive ballad somewhere between
Springsteen
and
's dad. Fittingly, the album ends with "You Were It," the first song
ever wrote when he was just a child of 11. Knowing this aching and lovelorn closing number was written from the imagination of a youngster and not lived experience enhances its sweetness, and serves as a perfect summary for the album on the whole. With
tunes into feelings of expectancy, newness, and a nervous uncertainty that's endearing. He pairs these fresh-faced emotions with a craft honed during his many years in the trenches of the music industry, and the resultant songs are masterfully constructed yet still conveyed from genuine beginner perspectives. ~ Fred Thomas