Customer Reviews

Rivertown

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is another great cd by walt wilkins, after the milk and honey which I found lacking and disappointing.
Walt Wilkins is one of the best unnknown singer songwriters, and there are many great ones these days. his music flows through cajum and folk and a great violin. His voice is very effective and his songwriting describing the life of ordinary people is some of the best songwriting coming anywhere in the US.

I first heard Wilkins in a tape a friend sent me 10 years ago, it was his debut and very hard to find "Bull creek souvenir", I listened to it in my walkman every time I walked for many many months. It was amazing. I had a hard time finding it on cd, until I found a seller in switzerland who had a copy. I listen to it very often. For those who liked his two newer cd's I think a rerelease of his debut, which is one of the best debut I have ever listened to, is a must.

Maybe a record label will soon do it.

Anyone interrested in the likes of Guy Clark, Mickey Newbury, Townes Van zandt, Richard shindell, etc... should listen to this cd and this guy.

Rivertown is a great place to start. Order it.

I never heard of this guy when I bought this CD. Knew nothing about the music except that it was filed in the Country section. I had a few dollars left on a gift certificate at the local music store. Cover art was kind of cool so I thought what the heck and bought it. Although it was priced at $$$$, it has received significantly more 'carousel time' than the other CDs I purchased that day at full price.

Easy to like, easy to listen to and it won't insult your intelligence. I wouldn't call him a "Christian recording artist" but Wilkin's faith in God shines through on virtually every track. His soulful voice really does resemble Dobie Gray's, and the music is rootsy/folksy with a fair amount of twang. I especially like the tracks Genevieve and Some Men Fall. The music sounds a lot like the roots/folk band Tandy.

My only complaint is that after repeated listenings a sense of sameness pervades...in other words some of the songs sound quite similar to each other.

Wilkins inhabits the same Texas-centric universe as Pat Greene (who adds harmony on "Velvet Sky"), Cory Morrow, and others. It's a scene that purposely shucks off the radio-homogenizing influences of Nashville, keeping its twang firmly in place, even as it reaches out for folk and rock influences. Wilkins' second studio album (a CD of live performances recorded at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe and a disc of demo recordings appear to be floating around, as well) finds him continuing to explore his role as a balladeering observer, wedding gentle fiddle-and-guitar driven backings to a folkie's introspection.

The major changes in his life -- predominantly marriage and fatherhood -- provide the focal point for Wilkins' new songs. He essays on-going realizations of adulthood ("Poetry"), exuberant love ("Spacewalk"), the transcendent beauty of home ("Walnut Street"), and the memory of an unexpected snowfall. His miniature contemplations bring together the bits and pieces that make up Life, and his clear-eyed view of personal circumstance continues to impress.

Track #12, unlisted on the tray card, is "Field of Blue."

3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings.

About five years ago, I heard Hal Ketchum sing a beautiful song, Gevevieve, at the Grand Ole Opry. The song was co-written by Hal and some guy named Walt Wilkins. Hal never recorded the song (I'll never understand the record business). I saw Hal in 2009, and asked him about the song. He said Walt Wilkins recorded it, and my wife found the cd online. After listening to the cd, I don't know why this guy isn't huge. Any singer-guitarist-songwriter or just plain music lover needs to hear Walt Wilkins. The writing, the voice, the songs are incredible - well worth the money.

Walt was an indifferent seminarian back in the day. Little did we know that while we were in theology class, he was mainlining truth from Ha-Shem Himself. "Poetry" on this album is one of the great songs of the decade and can stand next to any of the great rock and roll theodicies of Van the Man, Bono, John Hiatt, or Bobby Z. This song expresses everything I believe and want to believe, and I am a certified public theologian, daggonit.

The writing on this records is brilliant and evocative. Walt's honest, soulful voice brings the stories within the songs to life. The artwork and blue jewel case are really cool, too, easy to pick out in the CD rack, though the disc itself is never far from the player. If I were to list my favourite songs it would include the entire song list. From the first to the last these songs are treasures, you will never tire of this album.

This is one fantastic cd. Every song is very good, it's hard to pick a favorite. Buy the cd, read the lyrics and get to know the heart of this guy. He is a family man and a man of God. We have a large variety of CD's and this guy is as good as it gets for folk/country blend. The accompanying fiddler (waltz on white sands)is an addition. We have seen this duo live and it is a real treat.