After 14 years kicking around the Midwest club scene and four independent releases, Drew Nelson, 41, is supporting his most high profile album yet. “Tilt-a-Whirl” is the first full-length from venerable Red House Records for the Michigan-based singer-songwriter, who opens for label mate John Gorka at Canal Street Tavern on Saturday.

“To have a company like Red House put their stamp on what I do is just invaluable,” Nelson said recently, speaking from his home in Grand Rapids. “How do people know what’s good and what’s not good when there’s so much stuff? They recognize Red House has some amazing artists so they go, ‘Well, I’ll give it a shot.’ That’s definitely true for radio and promoters.

“As a person that’s been doing it for so long on my own it was such a great validation for me and my art,” he said. “It’s validation you’re growing as an artist and haven’t been wasting all your time. You’re working hard and you have a team that believes in you and thinks what you’re doing is important.”

Nelson’s career has been on a steady rise since the folksy roots rock album’s release in February.

“Neil Young hasn’t called me or anything, but I’m playing places I haven’t played before on the merits of the new release and the new publicity,” he said. “There are venues that really weren’t interested a year ago that are now starting to be interested in having me come. That’s been a really nice step forward in my career.

“My whole goal has always been to build a career, not to get famous,” Nelson said. “Red House really fits with that because their artists stay with them. Now I feel like I really need to work as hard for them as they believe in me. I have that sort of Midwestern work ethic, so I want to live up to my end of the bargain too.”

Nelson isn’t letting his recent success add any undue pressure.

“I just try to put stories together and write really great songs,” he said. “I’m not trying to top ‘Tilt-a-Whirl.’ I’ll try to make another great record as best I can. You can’t ever top your thing, but I think you can grow as an artist and try to write good songs.

“It’s a lot of pressure to try to compete with yourself,” Nelson said. “I’ll just try to put out a really solid piece of work and let other people decide if it’s topped anything or not.”