TwitterFacebookRSS Published on October 23rd, 2013 : review from Country HQ website. The Whistle & Waltz Video recorded live earlier this year in Tamworth also v nice ( link at bottom of this page). In the ever expanding Americana genre in Australia, Lachlan Bryan and The Wildes have led the charge for the last decade and their new album, Black Coffee, transcends expectations and delivers possibly the best album of the year. We knew it was going to be good, but this is an exceptional album. Right out of the gates, Black Coffee grabs the listener and takes them “down on the avenue at number 309″, a raucous homage to Texas blues, featuring the iconic Bill Chambers, who co-wrote the song with Lachlan Bryan. It captures your attention, with Bryan’s soulful vocals contrasting with Chambers gravel like voice and slide guitar. As a first single, it’s the perfect choice to make the listener crave more. As far as songwriting goes, Lachlan Bryan is clearly on par with the likes of Paul Kelly, Nick Cave, Guy Clark, Darrel Scott and Tom Rush. He draws upon elements of everyday life, personal experiences and memories. The title track itself is a memory drawn from Bryan’s grandfather, with who he shared his very coffee at the age of 6. Weeping pedal steel guitar accentuates the sublime Kiss Me Or Kill Me, wherein Bryan writes “I could pull you in close i suppose, but you speak of the space that you need/I should learn to accept when you play hard to get, you get harder to play every time”. He writes as if he is almost pleading with his lover, with a raw uncomplicated honesty that really could only have come from personal experience., much as his previous anthem “If I’ve Done You Wrong”, from The Wildes debut album “Ballad Of A Young Married Man”. One of the features about Lachlan Bryan and The Wildes is that although it is a fusion of country, blues, roots, rock, alt country and Americana, it somehow manages not to alienate anyone. Play this album at your next dinner party, especially with non country or blues fans, and you will see toes tapping and your guests asking “Who is this we are listening to – it sound’s great!” And don’t just tell them it’s Lachlan Bryan and The Wildes, but take them to a live show and share the live experience too. In recording Black Coffee, Lachlan Bryan seemed to act like a magnet for great talent who want to work with him, as this album features duets with the afore mentioned Bill Chambers, Zoe Rinkel, Laura Coates (from the amazing duo The Weeping Willows) and the calescent Melody Pool, with whom Bryan has toured and performed with for the last few years (check out their duet of Whistle and Waltz filmed by Country HQ). Bryan shares his music not only with his fans, but with his peers and he knows how to fit them into his album in an almost perfect order.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 23:42:51 +0000