Originally published by L.S. Media. April 13th 2011.

For fans of John Wesley, the news that he has released a new album will be greeted with a fan fare so loud that it will be heard from Florida to Stourbridge. One of the finest musicians of his generation, he has thrilled audiences with his own music and with collaborations with Fish and Porcupine Tree over the last twenty years.

The Lilypad Suite is no exception to the hard and fast rule that once you have found a sound, stick with it, tweak it, play around with it, even enlarge it but never forget what made you admired and loved.

As John says in his C.D. credits, the album is a collection of songs inspired by the struggle of a young girl to come to terms with the absence of her father, and whilst some albums can play too heavily into the fan’s conscious and leave them with a bitter tang in the mouth, The Lilypad suite ventures into a more sophisticated area that will appeal to the purist and the occasional listener with both its use of emotional lyrics and creative images that John installs favourably into the hearts and minds of the person paying attention.

One of the things that John has benefitted from is the addition of Dean Tidey as producer who has hardened up John’s sublime skills and almost re-invented him; this is evident on songs such as Walls of America and Still Waiting which has John’s trademark voice all over them but with Dean’s experience of playing for many years with Feeder and their high demands of perfection.

It might surprise some fans that this is John’s first studio album in six years, the intervening period since 2005’s Shiver has seen John become more comfortable with himself and the joy of hearing his voice once more will resonate with all his fans. The subject matter will not appeal to those whose heart has been hardened and turned to a concrete mixture but to those with a sense of humanity, The Lilypad Suite will be among their favourites of 2011.

Exquisite, refreshing and just a whole lot of beautiful.

Ian D. Hall