6/9/2023 0 Comments Ryley walker primrose greenNo, retro folk music isn't currently in style in Chicago or anywhere, but the wonderfully loose, captivating "Primrose Green" shows Walker is comfortable carving out his own niche. His booming voice channels Buckley's pristine warble (see the ridiculous range he displays on "Same Minds"), and his many ad-libs and vocalizations emulate Morrison's charismatic band-leading. Make no mistake, Ryley Walker is the full package. The lyrics-touching on earthy and often-abstract subjects British folk singers tend to emphasize-aren't as strong as the music but don't weaken the overall product. Walker's a commanding guitarist, expertly fingerpicking and weaving 12-string acoustic chords throughout his music, specifically on the ambling, rustic instrumental "Griffiths Bucks Blues" or on the frenzied rush of intensity "Sweet Satisfaction," the album's standout track and one of the best folk songs of the year. A prominent upright bass line opens the sprawling "Summer Dress," which eventually swells in volume to a blissful instrumental freakout. Ryley Walker’s music is a stormy, searching amalgam of proggy British folk, primitive guitar, free improv, and Chicago jazz-rock. Like a modern take on Morrison's "Astral Weeks," the opening title track starts off with a pastoral acoustic riff before spiraling into a vibrant, '60s-inspired folk song. The result is expansive, inviting and layered. Where the breezy, often-downbeat folk offerings on his 2014 album "All Kinds Of You" showcased his prowess with the acoustic guitar, "Primrose Green" is a more collaborative effort thanks to contributions from local jazz and experimental talent including guitarist Brian Sulpizio, pianist Ben Boye, drummer Frank Rosaly, and many more. ![]() These aren't the usual touchstones for an artist in his mid-20s (aren't younger folkies just supposed to name-drop Bob Dylan and move on?) Walker's sophisticated taste and astounding execution suggest a musician with experience and wisdom beyond his years. ![]() On his stellar new album "Primrose Green," the songs constantly shift, buoyed by Walker's crate-digging love for genre-bending acts like Tim Buckley, Van Morrison, Fairport Convention and John Fahey, not to mention a few relatively obscure others. ![]() Rather than specializing in earnest, preciously strummed songs with copious amounts of banjo, the 25-year-old, Rockford-born singer-songwriter plays music that unfolds like freewheeling jazz-with the energy and abandon of punk rock. Fortunately, that's not the case with Ryley Walker. But taken purely as a sonic bucolic experience, Primrose Green does transport to the fresh fields and sweet atmosphere of Walker’s mind.These days, the term "young folk artist" typically implies mountain-man affectations and cute ukuleles. ![]() The fragmented lyrics (and arty double-exposed LP cover) that attempt to harken back to that time, while succeeding with the sense of dazed dreaminess, don’t quite completely connect with listeners on an intimate level. There’s earnestness in Walker’s warble, exemplified in “Summer Dress” and “Sweet Satisfaction.” His influences of Americana, blues, jazz, and Celtic folk are fused together, creating dynamic and frenetic pieces throughout the album, but Walker’s heavy reliance on the charm and cadence of whimsical folk-rock troubadours from the late ’60s is obvious, and a bit disconcerting. The intricate fingerpicking that made his 2014 debut All Kinds of You a memorable listen drives the sparkling melodies and lush soundscapes on Primrose Green. Every track on singer-songwriter Ryley Walker’s sophomore LP evokes a vivid setting of pristine pastoral beauty.
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