When I started getting
into folk music in my late teens, David Wilcox was one of the first people I
saw in concert. He used to play at a place called The Old Vienna Kaffeehaus in
Westboro, Massachusetts, and always had a good rapport with his audience. He
was so adept at connecting with his listeners, both live and on his albums, and that clearly remains true
today. His newest CD, Blaze, boasts
many excellent songs with intelligent lyrics, songs you can sink into. The
album features all original material, written or co-written by David Wilcox. Blaze has a full band sound, but its
heart is still that of a singer/songwriter. And for those who prefer the more
stripped down acoustic sound, you can enjoy gems like “Drift” and “Single
Candle.”
“Oil Talking To Ya”
The opening track, “Oil
Talking To Ya,” premiered online before the CD, and it got me excited for
the full-length album. It has a cool vibe, and a good message. There is kind of
a rock and roll thing happening, with touches of blues. David Wilcox sings, “That’s just the oil talking to ya, it says
you got no choice.” And it sure feels that way sometimes. But the song has
an optimistic bent, as he adds, “But
there’s a brighter voice.” Yes,
there is a positive outlook, which is appreciated. “Oil Talking To Ya” was
written by David Wilcox and Ric Hordinski.
“Ocean Soul” is a love
song with a sweet sound. The chorus reminds me a bit of Tom Petty – that is, the
guitar part, not the vocals. “You’re so
beautiful/You’re the ocean soul I need/You’re so beautiful/And I’ll be with you
always.”
“We Came To Ride The Road”
I really dig the slow
groove that begins “We Came To Ride The Road.” The song then has some
interesting changes, each section with a very distinct sound. I love David’s
vocals particularly on this track – those smooth, deep tones are delicious. And
then the chorus has a sweet feel to it, helped by the backing vocals of Andrea
Summer. As David Wilcox says in the CD’s liner notes, this one is about, and
inspired by, a long-distance bicycle trip, and the song has the light, uplifting,
beautiful feel you’d get from a trip like that. The song itself puts you in
that frame of mind, where whatever is binding you somehow is looser.
“Guilty By Degree”
“Guilty By Degree” begins
like a heavier rock song, which is something of a surprise, the drums kicking
it off. But when David’s vocals come in, the tune breaks to a higher plateau.
The chorus then returns us to a cool, heavy blues riff and feel, and David
really makes it work. There is something tough in his vocal approach to the
chorus. Like I said, this one surprised me. It then continued to do so by
becoming one of my favorites the more I listened to it.
He then takes us in a
completely different direction with “Bail My Boat,” a happy, positive-sounding
tune. This has a certain catchy rhythm, giving the song a fun vibe. “If I’m there in despair/Getting pounded by
the waves/In the up-and-down world affairs, unprepared/Sure, the sea is gonna crash,
but it doesn’t have to take me there.” This is another favorite of mine.
Dan Joseph Dorff plays Fender Rhodes on this track.
“Guilty By Degree” and “Bail
My Boat” were written by David Wilcox and Ric Hordinski.
“Drift”
“Drift” is a slow, incredibly
pretty acoustic tune. David’s vocals and acoustic guitar are joined by Carol
Sharar on violin and by David’s wife, Nance Pettit, on backing vocals, adding
to the beauty of the song. “Each lonely drop
of rain will be delivered/To the sea someday.” There is something sad in
this song’s sound – something lonesome though loving. It’s a wonderful song.
“The Sacrifice”
“The Sacrifice” is a
bluesy tune from the perspective of a policeman, and features a nearly spoken
word type of delivery on some of the lines, giving a sense of immediacy to the
story David relates. “I touch beneath his
jawline for life under the skin/And he’s face down on the pavement, his neck
feels cold and thin/So I’ll need some information from the two who called it
in/’Cause the moment that it’s over is the moment it begins.” But then
other sections are sung, and the contrast works to give the song an interesting
power. I really like this line: “My badge
covers my own heart, but these questions hurt my head.”
“It could have been me, it could have been you/It could have been anyone
we knew.”
“Single Candle”
Blaze concludes with “Single Candle,” a softer, acoustic tune with
a positive message. “But that simple
truth’s insistence melted your resistance/’Til all at once you knew that what
you knew must change.” Life sometimes seems too short for us to feel we can
effect any true and meaningful change. But this song urges us to go for it
anyway, with Martin Luther King as the example of what can be accomplished. “Your quick life had time enough to shine
like the sun.”
CD Track List
- Oil Talking To Ya
- Ocean Soul
- Tip Of My Tongue
- We Came To Ride The Road
- Guilty By Degree
- Bail My Boat
- Drift
- It’ll Work On You
- Don’t Look Back
- The Sacrifice
- Single Candle
Blaze was released on February 25, 2014 through What Are Records?
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