willymason-iftheoceangetsrough music reviews Virgin Media
Appearances can be deceptive but so can voices. On his 2004 debut album Where The Humans Eat, folk singer Willy Mason's appealing, earthy and world-weary drawl seemed to hoodwink some people into thinking he was some kind of new Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen. Coupling this voice with an image of that of a rambling man and troubadour, all hobo lifetysle and dazed appearance, a 19 year old Mason burst out of his WASP-central Martha's Vineyard home with a set of rickety, no frills protest songs. As a result, while standout track Oxygen was no doubt a pleasant, if slightly twee listen, a very teenager-orientated album ( see "I wanna see through all the lies of society, to the reality; happiness is at stake") was erroneously lauded as some kind of new voice for a generation.
Now a big grown up 22, Mason's second album cannot rely on kooky precociousness and Evan Dando-style frazzled vocals alone. And this is where If The Ocean Gets Rough falls down. Mason has gone for a smoother, more rounded sound this time around to accompany his tales of the world on his shoulders, but has, as a result, eschewed the ramshackle, amateurish charm of his earlier efforts. Indeed, with his lightweight blues influenced folk, songs such as We Can Be Strong and When The River Moves On are far too Eric Clapton Unplugged for comfort.
Lyrically, Mason continues to espouse his existential angst and does this best on the very Lemonheads-y Save Myself - "Old religion is the new greed… when the vultures copyright the word free" he laments. However, a slacker vibe gives a resigned element to Mason's voice that can mean the undoubted power of such lyrics give the air of a weed-smoking philosopher, lying on his back putting the world to rights.
Mason's ear for melody is one redeeming feature and should serve him well on future albums. I Can't Sleep has a dreamy, Pink Floyd-ish grace while, as the album starts to trail off towards its conclusion, the haunting waltz of ninth track Simple Town saves things somewhat with its melancholic charm.
Unfortunately, Mason has once again flattered to deceive. The public's expectations are undoubtedly not his fault, but while there are no problems with that voice, you feel Mason needs to find a true voice in his lyric writing to match.
