Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Arguably one of the most important things to be able to posses in life is a sense of humour, without it you are doomed to wallow in either your own misfortune or the downfall of believing your own hype, of taking yourself so seriously it causes the soul pain or not understanding just what it is you mean to other people; a sense of humour makes all the talent you posses so much beautiful and allows clarity of spirit to shine through. It is in that clarity of spirit that makes Ged Wilson’s Tonight at Noon such a wonderful piece of Blues interaction and one that you cannot help raise a smile to, even on the most harmonious of moments available.
Founded on the basis of poetic endeavour, it is easy to feel and appreciate the bounty of hard work that Ged Wilson puts into his music, the imagery that is playful, full of intent and dynamic truth; it is the same way you appreciate a rainbow after many days of rain, you know that life may be hard, it may drag you down, but there in the corner is the smile of a guitar and the warmth of a man bold enough to make the entire day worthwhile.
The Liverpool poet Adrian Henri may have influenced a lot of people before his untimely passing but there are perhaps few to know that the inspiration felt in itself is also able to gratify and inspire others, the fatalistic sense of humour that carries life within its bundle of cares, that gives a glimpse beyond reproach and offers the keen mix so rare between Liverpool stimulation and Manchester sensibility, all is felt when Time can be manipulated and made to feel the force of art.
In tracks such as Evil (Is In Your Soul), Irwell Delta Blues, Northern Town, Runs With The Devil and Riffs and Spliffs, Ged Wilson carries the flag for a different style of Blues, one still born out of slow cool groove but also one that revels in humour, in the slight twist of word play that makes life’s absurdity relish in normality; it is a twist that makes the world and its rainbow such a delight to see.
Ged Wilson’s Tonight At Noon is released on April 29th.
Ian D. Hall