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Elly Roberts reviews
Virgin Records (EMI)
- Released: March 2005
- Rating: 6/10
- Cat.no.: 0724387537620
Multi-instrumentalist Willy Mason releases a quirky, uncompromising, butinteresting debut offering with Where The Humans Eat.
Clearly the guy can’t sing (nothing new there). He more than compensates withhis innocent lilting vocals. Just for the record, he plays guitar, bass,accordion, vibraphone, cello and keyboards with equal competence. Right now,this will probably not make any commercial impact, yet in years to come, thiswill probably become a cult classic. Until then Mason, by way of a self-fulfillingprophecy (as suggested on his CD reply card) will need to churn out more overthe years.
Some recognition has come his way, as he supports Athlete at the BrixtonAcademy. The overall feel and mood is almost ‘live’. It’s unthreatening (exceptfor the odd expletive – Where The Humans Eat) with only one potentialsingle for a BBC Radio 2 airing, the wonderful Oxygen, which would bring abreath of fresh air to the play list. Hard Handle To Hold has just appearedas a suggested download track in Q magazine, described as ‘Protest Folk forgreat big softies.’
He’s not your average folkie – probably Indie folkie more like – with greateffect. The opening drumming and steel guitar will grab you immediately, sojust stick with it for the rest of the ride – it’s fascinating stuff. No doubthe’ll be a big success on the support and college circuits. Watch out – hemight just creep up on you! But it’ll take some time to take a handle of -but not too much of ‘hard handle’.
Do I like it? Yep – it’s pretty cool. Prediction: slow burner.
Visit the website:Willy-Mason.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Gotta Keep Movin’
2. All You Can Do
3. Still A Fly
4. Where The Humans Eat
5. Fear No Pain
6. Hard hand To Hold7. Letter #1
8. Sold My Soul
9. Our Town
10. So Long
11. Oxygen
12. 21st Century Boy
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.