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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFrom The Grip onwards, one thing you can guarantee is that every Willie Dowling project will be packed with quality tunes. Fast forward to 2024, after Honeycrack, The Sugar Plum Fairies, Jackdaw 4 and The Dowling Poole, this is Willie\u2019s debut solo album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Let Us Begin\u2019 manages to meld a slick, Queen-tinged melody to Willie\u2019s customary smart, caustic lyrics. \u201cWe knew this was coming for most of our lives. Nobody wins, the anarchist sighs\u2026\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And sometimes it seems that the weight of having a social conscience sits heavily on his shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s joked about the Jeff Lynne comparisons, but musically the talent is at least equal here, though Willie is like the pessimist searching for a reason to remain hopeful. Understandably, given the warped nature of the world. It would probably be easier if he didn\u2019t care, but he really does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The piano-driven songs are beautifully played, and, as ever, the musicians are of impeccable quality (Andy Lewis and Jon Poole on bass, Darby Todd on drums). \u2018Long Drop Down\u2019 describes the idiocy of the \u201cI\u2019m not racist, but\u201d keyboard warriors and the gutter press, while the title track is like Billy Joel with a rage of social ire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Sadie Goldman\u2019 \u201cwrites a line upon the wall; half of nothing equals nothing much at all\u201d. This and \u2018The Cure\u2019 will appeal to those of us who appreciate the songwriting of The Feeling. The cello of Jo Lewis also adds another level to the melancholy. Jon\u2019s bass playing on \u2018The Gravy Train\u2019 is fantastic, obviously, and Dowling Poole fans will find a lot to love here, unsurprisingly. It almost makes me want to buy a fretless. Almost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Down The Slide\u2019 gets its teeth into the world of the red top press, to a classy groove. \u201cDon\u2019t you let the truth get in your way. A retraction, but the damage is done anyway\u201d. \u2018I Killed My Imaginary Friend\u2019 would be at home on a Sparks album (that\u2019s high praise, by the way), and \u2018In The Ocean\u2019 perhaps saves the best for last. Willie\u2019s voice has never sounded so good. \u201cRegrets, you ask, I\u2019ve more than just a few. They\u2019re leaking out from places I once hid from view\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While there are elements of the aforementioned artists, no one else but Willie Dowling could have written these songs. I hope that The Man Who Cared Too Much (copyright M. Chamarette) can feel some satisfaction in what he\u2019s crafted here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n