The Bottom Line
Wil was one of my favorite new artists at the Folk Alliance official showcases during the 2008 conference. He showed up with only a drummer and his acoustic guitar as accompaniment, but on his CD By December, he's backed by a full band. The full band gives him a much more well-rounded sound, lifting his songs into a more folk-rock realm, and bringing to mind contemporary artists ranging from Paul Simon to David Gray.
- "Wedding Dress"
- "Rain On"
- "Tight Fist"
- It sometimes veers away from folk, which could be disappointing to some fans
Description
- Ranging from contemporary folk to folk-rock and alt-country
- Tight instrumentation
- Haunting lyrics and melodies
Guide Review - Wil - 'By December'
"Big Life" is quite a bit sadder and more introspective. "Wedding Dress," despite its upbeat intro, is a sad story about a woman who can't get over the demise of a bad relationship. Its piano part and jogging percussion takes it well beyond the reaches of contemporary folk into a more indie rock arena.
Wil's artistic sensibility is rooted in great songwriting, but this isn't a disc for fans who feel married to any singular definition of folk music. Still, when you get beyond genre definition, it's a really well-done disc. Live, his energy is unstoppable, and that translates well to this recording. While some songs reach beyond contemporary folk, manifesting the influence of modern rock, country and pop, others, like "Rain On," could have been taken from the Ray LaMontagne songbook. Wil's voice works well with all these styles, so the album's cohesion never wavers.
This album was released in April 2007.
