The somber-sweet and country tinged track "Everything" is just one sample of the alchemy that takes place when Nash pens a song, embraces a guitar, and resonates his unmistakable and bewitching vocals. He sings to an uncertain listener, "you're making up lies to justify your mood /explain it if you want to, but it knows better than you," and offers inspiration: "you have everything you need, just believe."

"Songwriting for me is a necessity," says Nash. "So is singing those songs. It's a conduit between the living and the dead, the loved and the lost, the cherished and despised. I think most people would agree that music is kind of strange magic."

Like Nash himself, the magic of the songs on 'Stars' is that they are clever and down-to-earth. They offer equal parts intelligence and emotion. They are driven by romantic ideas, but never lose sight of somber notions. 'Stars' is an EP that can stimulate dialogue without an agenda because it is based on true images of life, love and loss.

In short, Nash has once again done the best any songwriter can strive to accomplish. 'Stars' is a blend of songs that push, pull and provoke - whether with a lyric or with a melody. It is this kind of songcraft the artist has gravitated toward from an early age.

"I remember when I was a kid hearing 'Don't Think Twice, It's Alright' by Bob Dylan. I was 12 and I couldn't believe that Bob Dylan - a guy who was older than my parents - had written a song that perfectly articulated what I wanted to express about the unrequited crush I had for the girl who sat next me in social studies that year."

"Suddenly, I was not alone in the world," Nash continues. "And I haven't been alone since."

Perhaps it's this sense of himself and others that makes songs like "Everything" so effectively affective.

Watch "Everything" live here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lowtZO5XGPo