Willie Nile – The Great Yellow Light
This is veteran New York artist Willie Nile’s 21st album, with its title referenced to “Vincent Van Gogh’s letters to his brother, Theo & the light that inspired him in Arles, France, where he lived (1888-1889).”
The 10 tunes in The Great Yellow Light (Drops June 20/River House Records/40:47) were recorded at Hobo Sound in Weehawken, NJ & produced by Willie (vocals/electric guitar/piano) & Grammy winner Stewart Lerman. Guest musicians include the voices of Steve Earle, Paul Brady & Black 47’s Larry Kirwan (bgv) with some cuts featuring The Hooters’ Rob Hyman (Farfisa/Hammond B-3/accordion/piano/bgv) & Eric Bazilian (mandola/electric 6 & 12 string guitars/bgv).
The Buffalo, NY native with a distinctive voice, Nile, had albums in his early career with songs like “Old Men Sleeping On the Bowery” that were raw New York City scene rock n’ roll. The parts Patti Smith didn’t get to. He could be as intense & precise as Lou Reed, but he had a dash of Dion DiMucci finesse & cool.
Through the years, Nile developed more into a melodic artist ala the late Willy DeVille & both never compromised their intensity, or drama. Willie Nile continues to apply an attractive stitch between lyrics & melodies. He was never a sugar-coated mainstream, commercial artist. Where Tom Waits goes gutter deep, & dark with an L.A. atmosphere, Willie follows a more metropolitan coterie.
The ever-energetic Nile has always been an overloaded circuit that genuinely delivers the heat consistently. The material never sounds dated & Nile doesn’t sound like a shell-shocked genre survivor. The music (“Wild Wild World,” “We Are, We Are”) has a youthful gutsiness delivered with sumptuous edginess & vibrancy. The band’s tight as shrink-wrap around a pallet. Willie displays his R&R teeth brightly but also isn’t shy about grinding his punkier side into the brick wall Ramones-like on “Electrify Me.”
One of Nile’s best is the rousing title track “The Great Yellow Light.” Quite impressive.
This puts Nile in that respectable space occupied by Bruce Springsteen & Billy Falcon (“Heaven’s Highest Hill”). When I was young, I played Willie Nile beside England’s Graham Parker. I thought they mined different veins but dug for the same motherlode. They both maintained viable careers; however, Willie’s became more accessible with his punchy repertoire & songs like The Hooters’ “Washington’s Day.” A vibrant, optimistic, respectable performance.
Highlights – “Wild Wild World,” “We Are, We Are,” “Electrify Me,” “An Irish Goodbye,” “The Great Yellow Light,” “Wake Up America,” & “Washington’s Day.”
Musicians – Jimi Bones (electric & acoustic guitars/bgv), Johnny Pisano (bass/bgv), Jon Weber (drums), James Maddock (bgv), Andy Burton (keys/piano/Hammond M-3), Waddy Wachtel (electric guitar), Fred Parcells (tin whistle/trombone), Chris Byrne (uilleann pipes/bodhran), David Mansfield (mandolin) & James Frazee (percussion).
A 12-page full-color lyric insert is included. B&W image courtesy of Willie’s website gallery. CD @ Bandcamp & Amazon + Apple + https://www.willienile.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Willie Nile “The Day The Earth Stood Still”
