He plays guitar like he was born clutching a fret board and has never let go. Ryley Walker writes songs that reach deep, and sings them from the depth of his own soul. The High Road is a smooth as silk travelling song with a short, sublime string arrangement at its conclusion.Ĭlosing the album with Hides In the Roses shows Ryley in a different light – with only voice and solo guitar, but instead of opting for a soft, melodic conclusion, Ryley delivers a love song with a harsh edge to his voice and a simply stunning solo guitar. In this rare taste of old American there’s just a hint of UK regional accent that’s at odds with his US upbringing. It’s a light spiritual brimming with irony and muddy water. In contrast, the agelessness of On The Banks Of The Old Kishwaukee led me on a fruitless search for original sources and other versions – pointless as, just like every other song on the album, it’s one of Ryley’s own. But in Griffiths Bucks Blues, Walker shows every sign of settling down into his very own sound with a guitar piece that, although firmly rooted in 60s/70s, still conveys a sense of something new and exciting. The spirit of John Martyn, however, is still waving from the window with a dopey smile. In Sweet Satisfaction there’s tooth grinding reverb alongside the jaw-dropping, frantic drumming. He isn’t ashamed of revelling in his musical influences, but neither is he afraid to take them in new directions.Ī hustle bustle of percussion and electric organ dominate the gloriously extensive introduction to Love Can Be Cruel and provide an unfamiliar setting for a love song. Ryley’s been developing his guitar technique and his musical style since his days playing Chicago’s basement clubs from 2007 onwards. These songs weren’t born of a sudden need to emulate the greats of earlier days. Find the beating heart in the music or dismiss it as you will. I suspect that, if anything, this triptych opening is simply a trap a test, even. The third aspect of Ryley Walker’s holy trinity is epitomised in Same Minds the tone is smoky and rough with reverb, with Ryley displaying the same love for the slurred consonant and the primal moan as John Martyn did. When the vocals open in Summer Dress it’s Tim Buckley in the flesh, no one else could deliver a vocal performance like that…until now. But Ryley isn’t simply copying, he’s genuinely captured the spirit of what Jansch and his fellows achieved, but adapted the mood to include his own musical nuances – a touch of piano adding a trippy twist. In the opening title track, Primrose Green, the Pentangle vibe is unmistakable and executed to perfection. The first three tracks on the album evoke, in turn, Bert Jansch, Tim Buckley and John Martyn and it would be easy to fall into that trap. First impressions could tempt the unwary into making the mistake of approaching Walker as some sort of tribute act. When the vocals open in ‘Summer Dress’ it’s Tim Buckley in the flesh, no one else could deliver a vocal performance like that…until now. The music glories in the colourful jazz and folk fusions that grew from that era and his voice takes on the tones, style and passion of Jansch, Buckley and Martyn with beguiling mastery. His second album, Primrose Green, will be released at the end of March and is sure to raise a few eyebrows. His music is unashamedly a direct descent of the 1970’s UK folk scene, but there’s an Atlantic undertow that pulls those influences westward. Although Illinois raised and Chicago based, Ryley Walker is difficult to pin down geographically.
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