The Naysayer

In 2000 Cynthia Nelson of Retsin linked with inspiring singer/songwriter Anna Padgett to establish the indie country-rock outfit Naysayer. Bedroom-pop textures defined the group’s first album, Deathwhisker, issued in 2001, revealing both Padgett’s emerging songwriting skill and the still-developing chemistry between the two musicians. Nelson’s Retsin colleague Tara Jane O’Neil played on that record and stayed with the project thereafter. The follow-up effort Heaven, Hell, or Houston appeared in 2002 and marked an expansion of the band’s sonic reach. Guitar parts from Matthew Sutton and Freakwater’s Wink O’Bannon added greater scale, while cellist Noel Hawley supplied additional depth to Naysayer’s sound.