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.
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Nov 27, 2018The more faithfully you capture these songs, the worse they sound. The Lillywhite Sessions may be DMB’s darkest, most dangerous material, but it is still slick as hell. No question, though, that Walker approached these songs out of love, and for that, you have to give some credit.
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Nov 26, 2018More of a curio than a proper follow-up to May’s Deafman Glance, and is likely to be of far greater interest to DMB completists than the casual listener, but it makes for an at times intriguing project.
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MojoNov 19, 2018The Lillywhite Sessions doesn't just open another window into Walker's mind, it points out a door to a place beyond. Not everyone will want to go too far through it, but it's an alluring gateway. [Jan 2019, p.86]
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UncutNov 16, 2018He overthinks the rambling "JTR" and overstuffs the messy collage "Monkey Man."[Dec 2018, p.33]