Still just 22 years old, Martha’s Vineyard’s favourite son Willy Mason releases his second album If The Ocean Gets Rough to considerable anticipation. Aiming to repeat the huge and perhaps surprising success of 2005’s debut Where The Humans Eat, this follow up aims to confirm his place in the upper echelons of the current crop of singer-songwriters.
Where The Humans Eat was so successful largely thanks to the huge radio success of ‘Oxygen’. Mason and record label Virgin go for the same trick second time round with ‘Save Myself’ being a similarly radio-friendly lead single. In fact this overtly political protest song sums up a lot of what this singer-songwriter is about. Thoughtful, at times provocative lyrics (“When the culture’s drowning in a bad dream…when the vultures copyright the word ‘free’”) relayed in his unmistakeable deep drawl are backed by simple song structures with careful, restrained arrangement. Though well produced, with some delicate touches of strings and wonderful backing vocals when necessary, it is a far from lavish album and his songs are left to speak for themselves without overblown backing.
The richness of Mason’s voice leads to immediate Johnny Cash comparisons, nowhere more than on album opener ‘Gotta Keep Walking’. Referencing his folk singer mother, Jemima James, it sets the scene for the record, much of which was written during the exhaustive touring of the last album. Opening with the lines “On the road, no way home / Guess I gotta keep on rolling on / Until the lights come on” it is a song about being away from home that hints at other grander themes, such as war and the meaning of life itself.
One of the keys to Mason’s appeal is highlighted here and on bluesy third track ‘We Can Be Strong’. As on the likes of ‘Oxygen’ and ‘Save Myself’ he manages to mix the more complex themes and lyrics of the verse with a memorable, universal, repetitive, sometimes even meaningless chorus. It’s a formula that works rather well, particularly on ‘We Can Be Strong’. He tells the story of a man contemplating his path in life through the verse in his usual, eloquent manner (“Plenty of time to think about / All of the kids that went the college route / Chasing their tomorrows”) but what you take away from the song is the catchy “We can be strong, strong, strong” of the chorus.
If The Ocean Gets Rough is, actually, a very ‘strong’ album on which Mason proves that his song writing ability extends beyond just a catchy chorus. The song structure, phrasing and texture are often skilfully worked to reflect the subject matter. The incessant rhythm of ‘Gotta Keep Walking’ invokes the restless theme of the song while the dream-like ambience of the impressive ‘I Can’t Sleep’ really manages to convey a feeling of insomnia. Similarly, the percussion and persistent bass line of folk song ‘When The River Moves On’ means the song flows like its eponymous water. Throughout what is generally a downcast album, Mason’s trademark melancholic drawl also manages to lend the songs a depth that others may not achieve.
There are no real weak tracks on If The Ocean Gets Rough, though the lilt of Mason’s voice does mean some of the later songs can pass you by somewhat. While the bigger, bouncier songs are more attention grabbing, the darker ballads are equally as arresting. The poignant ‘Riptide’ and gothic ‘Simple Town’, for example, are both excellent, but it is ‘The World That I Wanted’ that is one of the real highlights of the album. With affecting lyrics, he tells the miserable story of a man dealing with family issues, unfulfilled promises and bereavement: “He watched as the old man laid down in the Earth, / And he looked all around for a sign of his worth, and he cried / ‘Oh Daddy what was it you wanted?’” backed with little more than finger-picked guitar and drums. It is beautifully sung with Mason stretching his range more than usual. It truly sounds like a timeless song and could grace the canon of any number of greats, including Cat Stevens or Leonard Cohen.
All in all, this is a fine second album that more than matches its predecessor. Mason’s voice is not to everyone’s taste but his songs should be and he proves with this collection that he really is one of the more promising songwriters of his generation.
****
First published on rockfeedback.com. See it here.
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