ARTIST: Joe Wilkes
TITLE: Spotlight
LABEL: n/a
GENRE: Folk
TIME: 38:52 min
SIZE: 51,5 MB
RIP DATE: May-02-2006
RELEASE DATE: Apr-03-2006
WEBSITE: n/a
Track List:
01. Spotlight 04:04
02. The Castle 03:23
03. This Time Won't Last Forever 04:22
04. Easy Talking 02:36
05. Too Late To Pray 03:37
06. Infra Red 03:36
07. Ships 03:56
08. The Rains 03:23
09. Say Something 05:24
10. Tomorrow Whatever 04:31
Release Notes:
Not for the first time, being down and out in Paris
makes for startling artistic results......
In this months Choice Cuts section of Hi- Fi Choice
magazine, south London's Joe Wilkes has his debut
album 'Spotlight' revue directly under a re- issue
of John Martyn's Sundays Child; I couldnÆt have put
it better myself. If you like how British folk music
used to be done, then you will love the new wave of
precocious talent challenging the old guard.
Having decamped to Paris in 2002 to get it together
after finding himself 'between houses' in London,
whatever Wilkes was running away from he/ we were
more than compensated with the collection of songs
that returned with him across the Channel.
Influences such as Martyn, Bert Jansch and Davy
Graham are immediately apparent in Wilkes dexterous,
percussive guitar style, which has an almost
European flare to it... Flamenco- Folk?
Spotlight, as Wilkes did himself, reaches beyond the
shores of its influence. æToo Late to PrayÆ with its
harmonicas and clarinets tips a hat to the likes of
Jaques Brel. Elsewhere, perfectly executed, live
string arrangements broaden the palette of this
record and reward the listener with an eclectic
collection of roots based music, with the stylistic
variety a whole album requires yet remaining focused
and congruous throughout.