Johnny Flynn : 'Sweet William'
Released: 30th November 2009
Label: Transgressive
The wave of folk artists seems to have died down a bit lately after being replaced by those-girls-who-press-play-on-keyboards-and-sing-along but one of the men at the front of that more impressive fad was Johnny Flynn. Sweet William is his return, an EP to bridge the gap between A Larum and album No. 2 that is supposedly due next year.
Recorded at the home of Adam Beach of his Sussex Wit backing band, it's very much as you were. His crooning voice takes the fore, but he seems to have about three voices if you remember (One he brings out for the backing vocals - throatier and much more interesting; the lead vocal - a more classic bellow; and a harmony voice that has an entirely different tone again) and you just will for the backing voice to get a chance to take over, but he never allows it.
Closer Drum is the brightest spark; pensive, brooding and dark with the horn section as the proverbial icing. It drones on beautifully, and when the “Live Fast Die Young” hook layers you realise how good this man is and can be. The Drum matches anything on he's done, alongside The Box and Leftovers on A Larum.
Sweet William does leave you with a similar feeling to A Larum, the potential is definitely there but he just seems to take a few wrong turns along the way. Trains is sweet while the title track is just too low key and doesn't develop at all. It's a welcome return, sure, but how about we cut it down to a Drum single, eh?
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Reply #1 on : Sun December 18, 2011, 22:24:36