Mr. Gabriele Benzing of Ondarock wrote this kind review of the new record recently. http://www.ondarock.it/recensioni/2009_mehrens.htm it's in italian, but here's a rough translation by my friend josh furnal: "A love song is a hidden treasure to show someone. Nathanael Mehrens sings love songs. His voice is waiting to reveal the gold that is hidden in between the folds of the soul. "I'm dragging my soul / Down The Streets Where I know / I'll find someone to show / Where I've hidden my gold." Twenty-four, based in Nashville, Mehrens has recorded songs ever since he was very little, not counting a few abandoned, vaguely adolescent tracks. The six songs on "For The Conscious" is the decisive step to introduce him into the category of 'American songwriter' and to keep an eye on him for the future. There are acoustic guitars, certainly, but also sober and heartbreaking orchestrations, merited by the arrangements of the seasoned producer Mike Odmark. There is the soft and suffered voice of Mehrens, but also the impalpable caress Natalie Prass to delicately accompany him. There is a melancholic sweetness and soothing, but also light drums, warm piano and keyboards awaiting crescendo. Imagine a Tom McRae lost between the grooves of "Astral Weeks" and you can visualize the music of Mehrens. In between the throbbing violin of 'Untitled 1', the tempo is the apparent cooling down of a heart that cannot cease invoking change even when it seems impossible now. The winter, in the lullaby of "Snowflakes And Summershine" and the bitter serenade of "Whatever You Say" is the chill of disillusion that drags away all hope with it. Love, through the Romantics inlays of "Fading Away" is a dream that seems to slip through your fingers, a fear that pushes us to look away: "You're the circus that's coming to town / You're the chaos that's Under My Skin. " If the songs of 'Once' captivated you and Damien Rice stole your heart, then the debut of Nathanael Mehrens is a tiny secret not to be missed."