Carson Beyer finds strength in his new single, Nothing Left To Break
By Alan Shipston for Country Music News International Magazine
Nothing Left To Break is filled with cinematic panorama blended with a quiet intensity that allows Carson Beyer’s great vocal to soar above the swirling cauldron of musical simplicity. The composition relies on a 5 note rhythmic figure that hypnotically repeats itself while Carson counters with, “You don’t have to make excuses, you can just leave,” setting the table for the heartbreak of a difficult recovery from love, long lost. Singing effortlessly, Beyer conveys just the right amount of country pulled from his Paducah, Kentucky upbringing.
“You don’t have to take it easy on this heart of mine, cause there’s nothing left to break, take all you want to take,“ paints the raw vulnerability the singer is feeling, yet finding there’s still beauty in the breaking. “The day she left, she made damn sure, I had nothing left to break,” balances the strength and grief even as he lives in the moment of pain, proving he’s still alive.
The song is totally acoustic, except for a sparse electric guitar reinforcing the shape of the song, with angelic harmony voices, synth and spartan string lines washing the background. Produced by Beyer and trusted session guitarist Sol Littlefield, the bed tracks thoughtfully leave so much ambient room for Carson’s voice to reach into the gut of the song. Andrew Peebles, Clayton Shay and Carson Beyer wrote the lyric matching the heart wrenching breakup with the beauty of an intense arrangement to draw the listener in until the final reverb drenched chord.
Carson is an accomplished singer songwriter guitarist mixing classic country elements with an adventurous spirit and vivid lyrics. Building off the breakout success of his 2018 big picture hit Bones, he’s now making a lasting impression mixing in a welcome dose of soul into his productions. You can hear the influence of Tim McGraw, Keith Whitley and George Strait meeting at the crossroads of modern R&B from the likes of Usher and Justin Timberlake. Now based in Nashville, Carson chose to record his first album in legendary Muscle Shoals, Alabama, a region responsible for renowned albums by the Rolling Stones, Wilson Pickett, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon among a throng of others.
Nothing Left To Break is a haunting reminder to anyone who has reached the depths of love’s wreckage and pulled themselves up through the sorrow only to find, they’re still standing. Carson Beyer should have no problem finding an eager audience for this well crafted, sonic journey.