Graham Nash’s solo debut came out in the wake of both the huge triumph of CSNY’s beloved album Déjà Vu and his wrenching breakup with Joni Mitchell. Songs for Beginners captures this bittersweetness in perfect detail, surrounding plaintive numbers like “Military Madness” with bright, rootsy guitars and turning heartbreaking tunes like “Simple Man”—supposedly written the day Nash and Mitchell parted ways—into sweet, harmony-laden expressions of humility.