Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
We have lost more than we know in the last few years, and whilst Time inevitably catches us all unawares, the shock of the legendary performer taking a final bow from the stage as the music slowly fades, will always leave a lasting sadness to all who have had the pleasure, the honour, of listening to them, and arguably so with greater conviction, those who have lost their mentor and friend.
Should We Tell Him is a legend’s final stand, and it is not with a gentle voice that the great Welsh Bard Dylan Thomas warned of displaying, but with full address and forceful stance to which the equally prodigious and great friend Brooks Williams is gifted the stage as they search for the sound that captivated millions in the form of Don Everly.
This search became the truth of expression that gave this beautiful, but ultimately rich realisation its lasting reminder that we have said goodbye to a master as each song covered joyously catches the attention of the listener.
There is no denying that the loss of Rab Noakes will be felt hard by the folk enthusiast, but in this final offering there is a sense of magic placed before the listener which soars with pride and conviction in ways that might never have been heard.
To tackle the work of Don Everly is an achievement, to do so with such confidence, and to be aided by Hilary Brooks, Kevin McGuire, Conor Smith, and Signy Jakobsdottor, as well as a phenomenal musical hunger on the mixing desk by Paul Savage, Rab Noakes & Brooks Williams bring an extra sense of pleasure to perhaps some of the maestro’s lesser known, but just as passionate tracks.
Whether it is in the appearance of It Only Costs A Dime or Hello Amy, or in the subtly of melancholy raised in I’ll Never Get Over You, Maybe Tomorrow, I’m Not Angry, I Wonder If I Care As Much, or the pleasure to be found in the album’s title track, Should We Tell Him, what is evident is the respect for the performer and the Muse, and whilst Time has passed on, the memory, the strength, and the artistry will forever remain.
Should We Tell Him is glory, it is reflection despite the hour, and one that the listener will adore.
Rab Noakes & Brooks Williams release Should We Tell Him on August 25th.
Ian D. Hall