Jonathan Wilson | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Jonathan Wilson was born in the mid-70s, but his music most clearly recalls an era whose heyday arrived a few years before he came into the world; the deep but gentle vibe of his songs is an echo of the Laurel Canyon mellow rock scene of the late 60s and early 70s, and its no surprise that he found a home in the very same section of California years after the fact. Wilson was born in Forest City, North Carolina on December 30, 1974. He grew up surrounded by music: his grandfather was a preacher at a Baptist church, and his father was a musician and bandleader. In 1995, Wilson, who had become an accomplished guitarist and keyboardist, formed the band Muscadine with his friend Benji Hughes; the group caught the attention of Sire Records, which signed Muscadine and released their debut album, The Ballad of Hope Nicholls, in 1998. The group broke up in 1999, and Wilson spent the next several years in transit, living for a while in a hippie community in California, then in Alpharetta, Georgia, and in New York City for a spell before settling in Laurel Canyon. Along the way, he learned the rudiments of audio engineering and assembled an impressive collection of analog recording gear; he opened a recording studio and began working as a producer and sideman with a wide variety of artists, including Dawes, Erykah Badu, Phil Lesh, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, Chris Robinson, Will Oldham, and Shooter Jennings, and also joined several of those acts on the road. During his downtime from studio sessions and road work, Wilson worked on a solo album in which he handled all the instrumental chores himself; the project, titled Frankie Ray, was initially distributed on CD-R by Wilson himself before finally finding a home at Koch Records, who released it in 2007. Wilson also began hosting regular jam sessions at his home, which became a nexus for the revitalized Laurel Canyon musical community; Harvey Kubernik, who has been writing about the Los Angeles music scene for decades, told Los Angeles Times Magazine in 2009, "Jonathans at the epicenter of whats happening in todays LC." For his second solo album, Wilson opted to use a full band, recording at his own Five Star Studio, which had been relocated to a larger space in L.A.s Echo Park community; featuring appearances by Gary Louris, Chris Robinson, Barry Goldberg, Gary Mallaber, and Andy Cabic and Otto Hauser of Vetiver, Gentle Spirit was released by Bella Union Records in the fall of 2011. It was followed by the Pity Trials & Tomorrows Child EP in 2012. Wilson issued Fanfare for Downtown Records in October of 2013, then followed it with the Slide By EP in 2014. All along he had stayed busy producing other artists, including Roy Harper, Conor Oberst, and Father John Misty, and working as a session musician for artists as diverse as Meshell Ndegeocello and Roger Waters. He produced five albums in 2017 alone, including Father John Mistys Pure Comedy. After that burst of activity, he was ready to return to his own musical career, releasing his fourth album, Rare Birds, in early 2018 on Bella Union. Recorded during the same time he was working on Waters Is This the Life We Really Want? album, it was produced by Wilson at Five Star Studio and featured guest appearances by Lana Del Rey, Father John Misty, Lucius, and Laraaji. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 4 Title: Gentle Spirit Released: 2011-08-08 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:17:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Gentle Spirit (Find Our Hearts) (06:27) 2 Can We Really Party Today (06:40) 3 Desert Raven (07:56) 4 Canyon in the Rain (06:22) 5 Natural Rhapsody (08:17) 6 Ballad of the Pines (04:01) 7 Waters Down (03:46) 8 Dont Give Your Heart to a Rambler (03:47) 9 Woe Is Me (06:23) 10 The Way I Feel (04:07) 11 Rolling Universe (03:26) 12 Bohemia (06:14) 13 Valley of the Silver Moon (10:31) |
 | Album: 2 of 4 Title: Fanfare Released: 2013-10-11 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:18:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Fanfare (07:05) 2 Dear Friend (07:18) 3 Her Hair Is Growing Long (04:52) 4 Love To Love (04:09) 5 Future Vision (05:54) 6 Moses Pain (06:38) 7 Cecil Taylor (06:30) 8 Illumination (06:38) 9 Desert Trip (04:26) 10 Fazon (05:38) 11 New Mexico (06:40) 12 Lovestrong (06:31) 13 All the Way Down (05:54) |
| Fanfare : Allmusic album Review : On the positively baked Gentle Spirit, from 2011, Jonathan Wilson offered a stellar update of the early-70s Laurel Canyon sound. For Fanfare, he is obviously inspired by the production techniques of that decade on both sides of the Atlantic. This is one of the most delightfully ornamented recordings to come down the pipe in quite some time. Its sound is so warm and inviting, it almost proves a distraction from the songs. Wilsons guest list is impressive: David Crosby, Graham Nash, Jackson Browne, Benmont Tench, Mike Campbell, and others contribute. But mostly its Wilson: guitars, piano, drums, bass, mellotron, bells, synths, B-3, vocals, and more. Deciphering the musical trail on Fanfare is a hell of a lot of fun. The influence of Crosbys If I Could Only Remember My Name, CSNs self-titled debut, CSNYs Deja Vu, Stephen Stills first Manassas record, Pink Floyds Dark Side of the Moon, ELOs Eldorado, Steely Dans Cant Buy a Thrill, and numerous other recordings saturate this albums pores. Yet, if Wilson werent capable of doing something new with his sources, the familiar would relegate it to the closet of nostalgia. As a songwriter, his ability to craft diverse, instantly attractive melodies, bridges, and hooks allows his songs to sit alongside those that inform them. Check the easy, driving country rock on "Love to Love," the breezy folk-rock in "Moses Pain" heightened by Campbells guiding slide guitar, and Brownes and Nashs backing vocals that make it soar, and the shifting, crunchy rock slowness in "Illumination" for examples. Wilsons ability as a producer is akin to Todd Rundgrens: he can combine, arrange, and orchestrate his influences to create something new from the instantly familiar. This is evident in the opening title track where Baroque pop orchestrations (Eldorado) are wedded to Dark Side of the Moons spacey nocturnal tensions -- dig James Kings wailing saxophone solo. "Dear Friend" and "Her Hair Is Growing Long" are sequentially suite-like in their collective nods to Woodstock, CSNs self-titled debut, and the latters acknowledgement of the Beatles "Golden Slumbers" in the guitar break. Wilsons lyric phrasing illustrates vivid images, all framed by inviting, self-styled textural nuances. Crosbys and Nashs vocal appearances on "Cecil Taylor" fit so seamlessly with his, the twilight, darkly lit melody almost breaks its frame. "Illumination" channels the pace and cadence of Neil Youngs Crazy Horse, but its lushness expands the plodding groove. Tenchs piano on the instrumental "Lovestrong" matches Wilsons blistering David Gilmour-esque guitar break. Fanfare travels easily between intimacy and more psychedelic-influenced euphoria because Wilsons songwriting remains his ace in the hole. For all its laid-back deference to his production, its tight, clever, and artfully constructed. Together they make for an album that will likely pass the test of time. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 4 Title: Slide By Released: 2014-11-28 Tracks: 5 Duration: 27:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Coming into Los Angeles (04:46) 2 Free Advice (02:23) 3 Alpha Blondy Was King (06:35) 4 Angel (08:30) 5 Slide By (05:19) |
 | Album: 4 of 4 Title: Rare Birds Released: 2018-03-02 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:18:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Trafalgar Square (06:24) 2 Me (04:49) 3 Over the Midnight (08:15) 4 There’s a Light (04:56) 5 Sunset Blvd. (05:44) 6 Rare Birds (05:26) 7 49 Hair Flips (05:10) 8 Miriam Montague (04:41) 9 Loving You (08:31) 10 Living With Myself (06:46) 11 Hard to Get Over (06:30) 12 Hi-Ho the Righteous (06:09) 13 Mulholland Queen (05:20) |
| Rare Birds : Allmusic album Review : Jonathan Wilson has been busy since 2013s Fanfare. Hes produced two albums by Father John Misty (Josh Tillman), who returns the favor by appearing here, and records by Conor Oberst, Dawes, and Karen Elson, as well as playing on Roy Harpers Man & Myth and Roger Waters Is This the Life We Really Want? Hes also musical director of Waters touring band. Like his previous outings, Rare Birds is drenched in the sounds of his record collection, but this time around hes cast his sonic net considerably deeper and wider than the Laurel Canyon and yacht rock-isms so entrenched in its predecessors. Its sprawling at nearly 80 minutes, and lavishly packaged -- especially the LP. While the aftermath of a broken relationship is the obsession behind these songs, Wilson insists this isnt a concept record. However, the truth of the matter is that it might as well be, as he charts the various stages of attraction, desire, hope, love, conflict, and romantic dissolution. To aid him in this massive venture, hes enlisted a large cast of musicians who include pedal steel ace Greg Leisz, drummer Joey Waronker, and a host of backing vocalists -- including Tillman and Lana Del Rey. Wilsons love of mid-70s Fleetwood Mac and Trevor Horn is entwined on the glorious "Loving You," with proto new age pioneer Laraaji on zither and duet vocals as Del Rey poignantly backs them in a soulful drift. "Trafalgar Square" is saturated in Wilsons love of Tony Viscontis work with David Bowie and T. Rex. Another album highlight, "Theres a Light," pays a sideways homage to ABBAs spirit-lifting pop. Jeff Lynnes Beatles worship frames "Miriam Montague" -- complete with a string trio. Wilson combines his respect for Tim Friese-Greens work with Talk Talk while simultaneously offering tribute to Don Henleys "Boys of Summer" in the same track. In the haunted "Living with Myself," warm, spacious, bubbling synths and glorious backing vocals by Del Rey carry the foreground as Leiszs lap steel swoops and whines in the margins. Trevor Horn also proves an inspiration in the pulsing layers of cagey synths and assorted other keyboards and strings on "Hard to Get Over." "49 Hair Flips" reflects the influence of Talk Talk (circa Colour of Spring) and late composer Arthur Russell as well as early girl group rock & roll. Its lyrics engage raw sexuality, the perils of social media, and forlorn longing. They dont quite get it; in fact, they point at the problems with Rare Birds. Wilson clearly needs an editor: only three of its songs are under five minutes; his lyrics are so full of images, often in jarring juxtaposition to one another, that theyre clumsy. It would also be nice -- next time out -- to hear Wilson leave his record collection on the shelf and rely on his own production inspiration. The guy has the chops to stand on his own. These are quibbles, however. Rare Birds is dizzying in ambition and (mostly) dazzling in execution. It offers hours of enjoyment to anyone who takes it on. | ||