Bit of a multi tasker is Jonathan, perhaps too focused on the music to be described as a polymath but his roles within the music industry are manifold – Artist, Producer of both emerging talent, established acts and artists who need re-examination, Musical Director for aging rockers and guitar and keyboards for hire for many an album. To say that he has revitalised the Laurel Canyon scene would not be an understatement and his current studio resides in Topanga Canyon, ex-home of many of the key West Coast artists ( Young, Mitchell, Cass, Crosby to name a few). The list of his production credits runs deep and includes Dawes, Father John Misty, Roy Harper, Deep Dark Woods, Conor Oberst, Billy Strings, Erin Rae, Grace Cummings, Angel Olsen, Sam Burton and many more. His recording contributions include Roger Waters, Bonnie Prince Billy, Gary Louis, Elvis Costello, Chris Robinson, Jennie Lewis, Vetiver, Shooter Jennings and many more. However, in this article we are only looking at his solo output and selecting 10 tracks that are, as it says in the title, essential. There are five solo releases not including his early work ‘Frankie Ray’ which was released, sunk without trace and then reappeared on the internet. I have not included anything from this as it’s a bit of an outlier; this list contains tracks from the five Bella Union albums ‘Gentle Spirit’ (2011), ‘Fanfare’ (2013), ‘Rare Birds’ (2018), ‘Dixie Blur’ (2020) and ‘Eat the Worm’ (2023). Each album has its own flavour and the tracks seem to be produced to coalesce as you work your way through them. He has also released some EPs that bear examination particularly ‘Slide By’ and ‘Pity, Trials and Tomorrow’s Child’. If you’ve not listened to Wilson before then this list can be approached in any order, some of his output is…ahem… out there, particularly his latest (see Paul Kerr’s excellent review here) but much of it is a brilliant musician enjoying the form and creating wonderful songs. Lots of these clips are live which are different in tone to the recorded work as Wilson is the consummate producer but that doesn’t diminish the songs in any way as he and his crack band have fun. Enjoy.
Number 10: Angel from the EP ‘Slide By’ (2017).
A jam, a riff, more of a feeling than a song as Wilson and his band have a lot of fun with a simple song. In the video he stretches as far as it will go. Music starts at 1.55 and Angel is the first song and then there’s loads more!
Number 9: ‘49 Hairflips’ from ‘Rare Birds‘ (2018)
Pure filth from Wilson as he describes the physicality of his newfound love over a classic 70’s piano ballad form. At once stately and subversive Wilson channels Nilsson and Prince (in his early days). The video is bonkers and the song builds to… whisper it… Floydian heights. It’s certainly Wilson flexing his production muscles.
Number 8:. ‘Cecil Taylor‘ from ‘Fanfare’ (2013)
Fanfare is probably Wilson’s touchstone album and this is the first of three tracks. A delicate acoustic number that floats gossamer-like over a tribal beat. The song shimmers and folds in on itself before exploding with the guest vocalists Crosby and Nash harmonising in full flight, recalling their 70’s pomp, and carrying the listener over the oceans to the wooden ships.
Number 7: ‘The Way I Feel’ from ‘Gentle Spirit’ (2011)
Gentle Spirit is the album that launched Wilson following his internet-only ‘Frankie Ray‘. He toured it relentlessly, this scribe seeing him performing as Tom Petty’s support in the Royal Albert Hall. ‘TWIF’ is the guitar-led romp that was promoted as his calling card by Bella Union, his UK record label. The video is live so different in tone to the album track but still thrilling. It’s like the 80, 90s and 00s never happened!
Number 6. ‘Oh Girl‘ from ‘Dixie Blur‘ (2020).
Dixie Blur came with great fanfare (see what I did there ?) but failed to match the hopes of many fans as Wilson headed towards Nashville but with with his own twist. However, Wilson is master of the piano ballad and this steel guitar-flecked thing is a thing of beauty that ebbs and flows as the strings come in and the backing vocals join the fun before the breakdown. And the Toots Tielemanns nod is great.
Number 5: ‘Can We Really Party Today?‘ from ‘Gentle Spirit’ (2011).
A jaunty ditty wherein Wilson questions whether the world can afford to be having fun whilst the world appears to be burning in front of our eyes. The typical Wilson rhythm switch emphasising the message but not taking away the sense of joy in the song itself. Gentle Spirit is chockfull of lengthy guitar workouts and this is almost an outlier from the rest of the material but Wilson plays it often and clearly enjoys performing it, particularly the heartfelt coda.
Number 4: ‘Dear Friend’ from ‘Fanfare’ (2017).
A staple of the live set this is Wilson’s guitar wig out track, often lasting up to 10 minutes as he goes bonkers once the initial section of the song is finished. A gentle waltz descends into guitar hero shapes and becomes an almost jazz-flecked workout from 3 mins in. Highlighting Wilson’s guitar virtuosity as well as his production understanding.
Number 3: ‘East LA’ from ‘Eat The Worm’ (2023).
ETW is a tough listen to the uninitiated and it represents Wilson trying to push the boundaries of his self-production; however this gem is buried towards the end of the album and yet again it is a sumptuous piano-led ballad that features some great lyricism as well as a melody to die for. The brass could almost be ‘When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease‘ and then you remember Wilson produced Roy Harper’s last album. Just lovely.
Number 2. ‘Desert Raven’ from ‘Gentle Spirit’ (2011).
This is a descendent of Gene Clark’s ‘Silver Raven’. A wide-screen voyage through the same desert where the ‘Horse with No Name‘ wandered. A gentle scirocco of back beats and guitar as Wilson’s hushed vocals circle the rhythms and the song unfolds on a guitar riff of shimmering beauty. It’s almost hypnotic.
Number 1: ‘Moses Pain‘ from ‘Fanfare’ (2017).
A widescreen journey through the badlands of Americana as Wilson and his band reference Jackson Browne, Dylan, The Eagles et all with an infectious, joyful and soulful tune that ticks every box as well as being a crowd favourite. Again it’s the coda that delivers the knockout blow as the band shift gear to the glorious finish.
Interesting stuff but not sure he has the depth for this analysis?
Oh he’s deep Andrew he’s deep but if he’s not your thing then hey I’m glad you looked and listened