{"id":8157,"date":"2021-09-09T19:50:53","date_gmt":"2021-09-09T17:50:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kessel-tamerus.nl\/Esthers_Blog\/?p=8157"},"modified":"2021-09-09T19:50:54","modified_gmt":"2021-09-09T17:50:54","slug":"ray-wilson-the-weight-of-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kessel-tamerus.nl\/Esthers_Blog\/cd-recensie\/ray-wilson-the-weight-of-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Ray Wilson – The Weight Of Man"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Als je deze recensie liever in het Nederlands leest, kun je hier klikken<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It has been almost twenty years since Ray Wilson started his solo carrier. In 2016, Ray released no less than two studio albums with only new material (‘Song For A Friend’ and ‘Makes Me Think Of Home’). Three years later, Upon my life’ followed, featuring new and old songs. His latest album, ‘The Weight Of Man’, was released on 27 August. The ten new songs are about the complex times we live in. There is also one cover, which is the first time Ray has covered the Beatles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘You Could Have Been Someone’ has a quiet, instrumental opening. As tempo and volume increase, Ray starts singing. His voice sometimes has quite a bit of reverb. This doesn’t do justice to the warm colour of his voice. Sound effects are also added to the music. This opening track has nice details and a pleasant flow. In ‘Mother Earth’, you can hear the beautiful, warm sound of Ray’s voice. This is accompanied by a touch of music. Then a slow beat comes in the background. There is a brief change to more volume and tempo. A little later, the change in tempo and volume is greater and lasts longer. The sound runs back and forth in the headphones several times, and there are quite a few special sound effects. Unnoticed, there are quite a few layers in vocals and music. The sound of music and vocals in ‘We Knew The Truth Once’ is clear. The changes in volume and tempo are gradual. The subdued piece touches me less than I would have wished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In several tracks, extra sound effects are added. There is also quite a lot of echo and reverb on the vocals. Some parts of the music, such as the beautiful guitar play, are less prominent because of this. The effects sometimes draw more attention than the lyrics. This album, like his other solo works, needs to grow.
The repeating ‘Amalia’, played live, will certainly cause interaction with the fans. This song has a beautiful, slowly fading ending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The title track has a softly played, instrumental intro. A few words are whispered. The (doubled) vocals sound a bit less pure, but that in itself fits the whole. Various details are added throughout the song. During a rhythmic part, the guitar play has a summery atmosphere. The bass grooves and the keyboards also appear. In ‘Almost Famous’ you can hear the warm voice of Ray, together with a touch of pure music, the balance between them is good. Again, there are quite a few layers in the music. The chorus is quite predictable in terms of lyrics. The short played part is quite nice, but then this short track is already over.
In ‘Cold Like Stone’ too, vocals and music have a warm sound. The lyrics are about the possibility of seeing the ordinary things in life in a different way. This song is subdued and sung with purity, as Ray does so well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reverb on the vocals was heard earlier in, for example, ‘Come The End Of The World’ from his previous album ‘Upon my life’. But in several songs of ‘The Weight Of Man’, the reverb can be heard more frequently, not always an appropriate addition. The pure, minimalistic, as for example on the album ‘Makes Me Think Of Home’ is now more rare. Fans might miss the extensive saxophone playing of Marcin Kajper. He is slightly less prominent (with clarinet) in ‘You Could Have Been Someone’. The balance of the whole is a bit different than we are used to from Ray. ‘The Weight of Man’ is not a repetition of previous albums. The differences in volume within one song are less. What has remained are accessible songs that are easy to listen to, but that have to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(77\/100) (Jaggy Polski)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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