I must admit over all the years of the Rockpit I can’t recall reviewing more than a handful of ‘Concept Albums’ yet here on the desk, beautifully packaged, and screaming “listen to me” is the latest from Wily Bo Walker and Ed Brayshaw ‘The Roads we Ride’ which comes as the second part of a larger three part story.
Even at my age you can still discover artists ‘new’ to you but artists that have already created a legacy and a hefty back-catalogue. Wily Bo Walker is one of those and on the basis of this beautifully packaged release (It comes in a gatefold digipak with cover art by Zhana D’Arte and 12 page A5 booklet with artwork by Zhana D’Arte and Wily Bo Walker with film storyboard, lyrics and info) I think I’ll be searching out more.
As concepts go this is a take on that time-honored tale about three people and the paths they take; and the title song is all about that journey towards death, the road we’re all travelling towards who knows what, maybe Heaven, maybe Hell? The rest is that tale of three friends: Johnny, Louise and Harry played out in thirteen songs.
One one level this is great Blues album, but the more you let it in and immerse yourself it becomes something else entirely – a journey through a landscape painted in a series of vignettes where you’re immersed in an almost familiar world where your own imagination is a vital ingredient.
The album starts with a breakup of two of the characters and is aptly titled ‘Storm Warning’ in which you’re first introduced to the unique patina of Wily Bo’s unique and Bluesy vocal. It’s a faster song that gives way to the contemplation of ‘I Want to Know’ silky smooth slow blues studded with those Tom Waits-like stabs and some shimmering accented guitar from Brayshaw. As the story continues the love triangle is set with ‘Motel Blues’ which is shot with Southern ad Country flavour.
Like scenes from a movie there’s plenty of variety in the sound as we move from scene to scene ‘Loan Me A Dime’ is a slow mournful Blues; and ‘September Red’ paints a nice picture of a love that’s growing and becoming more elemental, and the soaring backing vocals that have been present so far and used sparingly suddenly burst into life like a gospel choir.
The twist comes mid-way as things go south and Louise and Harry go on the run where the escape played out on ‘Killers on the Run’ becomes a spree on ‘Running Wild.’ The former has that Bluesy, soulful, Gospel-shot mid tempo smoothness and the latter a little more drive and grit with sharper guitars and more intent: both drive the story forward towards ‘Night of the Hunter’ the first single, a song built on a wonderfully fluid and powerful guitar sound and that molasses-smooth vocal.
‘Tennessee Blues’ adds a little lightness and shoots the story forward five years to a new town, it’s a light blues with some nice Country tones; and ‘After the Storm’ suggests maybe a new start which together with the epic ‘The Ballad of Johnny and Louise’ which builds to a final wonderful wail of guitar. All have that Mark Knopfler soundtrack feel about them, it’s wonderfully evocative stuff.
We close out with a nice pairing: the title track ‘The Roads we Ride’ the longest track here, even longer than the epic that proceeded it, a sort of grandiose exploration of love and loss with a heady mix of sounds that recall Springsteen and Knopfler at their story-telling best and lay them across the Blue Highways of America. To me its the heart and soul of this wonderful piece. The album though closes with just a brief snippet of where it all began and the birdsong introduced, waking guitar of ‘Storm Warning (Resprise).’
Very Impressive.
Tracklist: 1 Storm Warning | 2 I Want to Know | 3 Motel Blues | 4 Loan me a Dime | 5 September Red |6 Killers on the Run | 7 Running Wild | 8 Night of the Hunter | 9 Tennessee Blues | 10 After the Storm | 11 The Ballad of Johnny and Louise | 12 The Roads we Ride | 13 Storm Warning (reprise)
