WILSON T KING

I have nothing but admiration for anyone that can make beauty from simplicity. Wilson T King's (aka Tim Wilson) debut album achieves just that with a stripped down approach of just guitar, bass, drums and the man's own vocals. It's quality over quantity here - although the album has a playing time of just over 33 minutes, there's no filler or fat, rather a sleek, well honed dose of sleazy blues. On the surface this is a simplistic, laid-back affair, but complexity comes in the form of the depth of emotion conveyed through Wilson's playing. One of the strengths of 'Follow Your First Mind' is the heterogeneity in the music. Or, rather, Wilson's heterogeneous approach to the music. That is to say, there's a menacing vibe to his blues; a darker aesthetic than one would usually associate with the genre. And it's this undercurrent of menace that transcends the genre's erstwhile parameters with the resultant music something quite original. Of course, 'Follow Your First Mind' is still tied to the blues in its underlying aesthetic, but Wilson has attempted to progress beyond the usual generic trappings. And he succeeds. Progressive blues? Actually, I'll refrain from using such terminology as the 'progressive' label for it might mislead some into thinking I'm aligning this with the prog genre, for that it isn't, but the music on offer is most certainly innovative and does progress established blues idioms. Check out the haunting guitar licks on 'Now I Know' to a chilled bass backing - purely sublime and very fresh for the blues genre. As is all the music on 'Follow Your First Mind' with each of the tracks offering something genuinely new. There's quite a raw sounding production and jam-like improvised feeling to the material and soloing, but that's undoubtedly part of the intended effect, and it works a treat. For those in search of 'safe', cliché-ridden blues then look elsewhere, but anyone who appreciates musical innovation and artistic ingenuity, go buy this masterpiece right now. Highly recommended.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

19 Miles High

Album

FOLLOW YOUR FIRST MIND

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

33:18

RELEASE DATE:

Feb 2010

TRACK LISTING

1) The Light Behind the Sun
2) Vigilante Man
3) Hurricane
4) Now I Know
5) The Devil Waits for No Man
6) All That Matters is How Well You Walk Through the Fire
7) Albert
8) Loneliness Makes Sense Sometimes
9) West 69th

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

UK

"...there's a menacing vibe to his blues; a darker aesthetic than one would usually associate with the genre. And it's this undercurrent of menace that transcends the genre's erstwhile parameters with the resultant music something quite original."