Michael Weston King’s recent album – his first solo release in ten years – is a remarkable piece of work, notable for the quality of the songcraft and its inspiration in the soulful country sounds of the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout ‘The Struggle’, King’s voice is rich and sonorous, pulling us into the stories with lovely melodies and warm harmonies. It’s his voice, tuneful and resonant, that really stands out. After ten years and five albums performing with his wife, Lou Dalgleish, as My Darling Clementine, King has looked to storytellers and songwriters like John Prine to inspire him. This fine song, ‘The Final Reel’ is taken from ‘The Struggle’ and is a song that delivers real emotional impact. Michael describes what the song means to him: “The song is a musical homage to my much missed dear old pal Jackie Leven.” The depth of their connection is clear from the heart-breaking video, which presents us with a series of photographs of King’s old friend over the years.
Michael Weston King is a critically-acclaimed artist, who has performed alongside the likes of Nils Lofgren, Guy Clark, Nick Cave and Townes Van Zandt during his thirty years in the music industry. You can catch Michael live tonight, 29th June, at the Kitchen Garden Café where he’ll be playing ‘The Final Reel’ and all the songs off the new album. You can find out more and get tickets here. If that’s too soon for you, then look out for Michael playing songs from ‘Country Darkness’ alongside his wife and My Darling Clementine partner Lou Dalgleish and Steve Nieve on 9th July in Liverpool and in Edinburgh on the 10th. Further details can be found on Michael’s website. In the meantime, check out ‘The Final Reel’ – beautiful stuff.
