by
Ryley Walker
- Record Label: Dead Oceans Records
- Release Date: Nov 16, 2018
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Q MagazineDec 18, 2018Completely unexpected, utterly brilliant. [Feb 2019, p.116]
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Nov 16, 2018Not just for Dave Matthews Band fans, Ryley Walker's The Lillywhite Sessions is a reminder that taste is subjective, timing is everything, and you don't always choose the ones you love.
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Nov 16, 2018Walker plays it exceedingly straight, even when he's delivering good-time numbers like "Kit Kat Jam." This po-faced sincerity winds up underscoring Walker's debt to Dave Matthews Band--they now seem like a clear influence on his adventurous folk-jazz--while also highlighting the imagination behind the original set of songs.
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Nov 26, 2018Walker’s idiosyncratic take is his way of reconnecting the celebrated, cerebral art-folkie he’s become with a past spent dodging beanbags and sucking down Natty Lights in an East Troy parking lot. If you hear a little bit of your own journey in there, hey, all the better.
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Dec 3, 2018This labor of love represents an earnest conversation between a musical trailblazer and a young fan--an interplay of innovation and tribute that many music fans would likely endorse.
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Dec 3, 2018The complexity of the songs means there is plenty to enjoy upon repeat listening, although some tracks do feel under-developed. There is no denying that Walker is talented, but five albums in, we’re still waiting for the flawless masterpiece we hope he’s capable of.
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Nov 16, 2018At times the distortion's kicked on ("Diggin' a Ditch"), or things venture into broken free-jazz ("JTR") or psychedelic madness ("Monkey Man"), but outside of the stylistic shifts the album plays it earnest.