Walt Wilkins & The Ramble – Through The Stars
This Austin, Texas-based artist is wise enough to not just make a career from his endeavors but plays & contributes to many artists’ projects when they look for dependable & reliable musicians for their recordings. Walt Wilkins is one of those people.
This new solo effort was produced by his band The Ramble. A 9-track performance captured on Through The Stars (Available Feb. 28/Independent/34:00) is now among his 9 solo LPs. He has also recorded 4 with The Mighty Mystiqueros, 1 with his wife Tina & a live LP with Kevin Welch.
I caught Walt live recently when he performed & supported Marc Douglas Berardo in a no-frills concert in New Jersey – in an ancient barn: no laser beams, smoke machines, 50 dancing girls in the background & a full orchestra. But you know — they didn’t need it. It was a pleasant intimate singer-songwriter evening that was up-close & personal.
Walt has a smoky vocal in the realm of Marc Cohn (“Silver Thunderbird,” “Walking In Memphis,”) & Joe Henry (“Trampoline”). He’s a singer-songwriter with stories & an approach that’s evident on “Walk This World.” Sung in a narrative as if he were talking to you.
The addition of the colorful backup singers lends a nice touch to the well-arranged song. Walt shares a stylistic atmosphere created by artists as diversified as John Hiatt, Buddy Miller, the late Mickey Newbury & Tim Hardin. The music flows with delicacy – it has a rural tenderness that holds back the reins of too much folksiness or twangy country. Walt doesn’t work in that kitchen.
With Walter Hyatt’s “Going To New Orleans” he lays out a nice easy listening style that even a lounge singer or jazz chanteuse like Cassandra Wilson could cover if not Taj Mahal. A perfectly suited ballad with all the trimmings & none of the drama.
There are some typical tunes included in the showcase, but none qualify as filler. Walt’s performance effort is never compromised. He does try on different “threads” (he’s not a “hat” singer from what I’ve seen) like Tex-Mex, old-fashioned ‘50s country. He keeps the hokeyness & novelty to a minimum while the entertainment value is high. Walt’s individuality shines through with clarity — listen to “Even the Most Broken of Souls.”
Highlights – “Walk This World,” “Going To New Orleans,” “A Little Help” & “Even the Most Broken of Souls.”
Musicians – Walt (acoustic guitar/vocals), John Chipman (drums/percussion/vocals), Scrappy Jud Newcomb (electric guitars/vocals), Ron Flynt (bass/piano/Wurlitzer piano/B3/Farfisa organ/vocals) with Tina Mitchell Wilkins (harmony), Bart De Win (Wurlitzer piano), Geoff Queen (steel guitar), Matt Hillyer (duet vocal) & Dave Perez (accordion).
Color image courtesy of Walt’s Bandcamp site. CD @ Bandcamp & Apple Music + https://www.waltwilkins.com/
Enjoy our interview here: Interview: Walt Wilkins on Producing the Mysterious Fluidity That is Texas Music