Dowling, Willie: The Simpleton

Myself and Willie Dowling go back a long way… not that he knows it of course. In the 80s his early band The Grip got, well, a grip on me and then, well for a lad reading Kerrang! magazine up here in Scotland, he pretty much disappeared. A sudden flirtation in my then new loves The Wildhearts seemed like a match made in sugar-razor-riff heaven, but they imploded as only they can and he and CJ Wildheart had a crack with Honeycrack - one of the 90s big missed opportunities.

From there a crescendo of silence was broken by tasty flash in the pan projects such as Cat People and Sugar Plum Fairies before Jackdaw 4 became home and released a quartet of ever-excellent melody infused pop-rock albums that shot Willie and his band mates to fame… or they should have. The Dowling Poole - cunningly named through a collaboration with Cardiacs man Jon Poole - came next and knock me down with a hook filled chorus if they weren’t pretty special too.

It is worth mentioning, however, that along the way Willie Dowling has looked out at the world, not much liked what he’s seen and, well, told everybody about it through his songs, and his social media and from the stage and I guess angrily shouting at passers by on the street corner. He’s right with what he says too, but let’s be honest, some people don’t like to be reminded that they too should care about the show of shit that we all seem to be unwittingly taking part in these days. Is it any wonder that the rear sleeve of Willie’s, well I guess, first solo album proper shows the man himself looking over his shoulder as a spotlight picks out the area he’s just vacated…?

Anyway, the reason for of all my rambling is to make the point that no matter what Willie Dowling has put his name to - there’s more, but I should talk about The Simpleton - has never slipped below the high watermark of essential. This guy presents melodies, hooks and insightful lyrics is if he pretty much finds them under his pillow every morning. As every song on this album floats past you almost instinctively shout - oh this one is my favourite! What is different here, however, is that rather than having a guitar superglued to his torso, the man himself has parked his arse on a piano stool and used the black and white contraption in front if him to craft the razor sharp, biting and yet still somehow floating wonders that arrive. For proof, simply wonder at “I Killed My Imaginary Best Friend�, or “The Simpleton� itself. Impressively, aided by Jon Poole and Andy Lewis on bass, Darby Todd on drums and Jo Lewis on cello and ‘strings’, what should be a stripped back, piano ballad album quickly refuses that mantle by having the ambition of ELO, the quirk of XTC and the choruses of Squeeze, all melded together into everything from the melancholy of “In The Ocean�, the sunshine of life bringing “The Cure� and the utterly stick in the mind “Long Drop Down�.

The Simpleton is a rare thing indeed - an album full of great songs, all beautifully presented and which sound fresher every time you hear them. Who could ask for more?

Track Listing
1. Let Us Begin
2. Long Drop Down
3. The Simpleton
4. Sadie Goldman
5. The Cure
6. Under The Gaslight
7. The Gravy Train
8. Down The Slide
9. I Killed My Imaginary Friend
10. In The Ocean

Added: October 30th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Willie Dowling @ bandcamp
Hits: 398
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]