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King Wilkie
official Web site
Track List:
1. Wrecking Ball
2. Angeline
3. Boy From Richmond
4. Rockabye (Farewell Lonesome Dove)
5. Juanita
6. Billy Means' Blues
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King Wilkie - Tierra del Fuego
By Shannon Cruse
I remember the first time my mother fed me cooked spinach like it was yesterday. The bitter taste resonated with me for years, and I resigned myself to never touch the stuff again. That all changed the day I got my hands on some fabulous spinach dip at a cocktail party. In the subsequent years, I've sampled many variations of spinach concoctions and haven't come across that haunting bitter taste again. Yes, I admit, I had been completely wrong about spinach and now consider myself reformed. When prepared properly, it can be the most delicious and satisfying course on the table.
What does spinach have to do with bluegrass music? Until recently, bluegrass had taken spinach's #1 spot on the list of things I adamantly disliked. I was again proven wrong when the new King Wilkie EP, Tierra del Fuego, crossed my path. After hearing just the first few captivating chords of "Wrecking Ball," I was hooked.
The aptly titled Tierra del Fuego ("earth of fire") sets the turf ablaze with five new original songs and a cover of "Juanita," originally written by Gram Parsons of the Flying Burrito Brothers. Joining these six talented young men from Charlottesville, Virginia, is the legendary banjo innovator Ben Keith on steel and dobro guitar. Tierra del Fuego is made up of mellow, "down-home," incredibly relaxing songs, each delivering a good story along the way. The passion, pain, and exuberance of these tales come through unmistakably in Reid Burgess' honest vocals and vibrant music accompaniment.
"Angeline" picks up where "Wrecking Ball" leaves off and softly hums a classic and universal tale of love lost. Broken hearts aside, the song is especially pleasant and sets up the more poignant narrative in "Boy From Richmond." Notably the mildest track of the bunch musically, the tune serves up a haunting recount of a young man who finds his lover in the arms of another, leaving the listener breathless and still.
The guys don't leave you there for long, as "Rockabye" crawls in and pumps some good spirits back into you, while the mood gains cheerful momentum with the group's impressive take on "Juanita." Rounding out the EP with high energy, King Wilkie leaves listeners revitalized and blissful with "Billy Mean's Blues," a song that abounds with mesmerizing flicks of the banjo and fiddle.
With their rawness and live energy, it's hard to believe these tracks were recorded in a studio. By the end of the record, you feel as if you've been sitting on a porch with these guys, sipping on lemonade or hooch, head back, toe tapping and feeling the pulse of the music through the imaginary floorboards and your veins.
King Wilkie's Tierra del Fuego is my bluegrass spinach dip. Just like spinach, when bluegrass is served up properly with the right amount of truth, talent, and inventiveness, it can be the most satisfying experience of your day.
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