Fences is not only a great album but also one that reminds us that musicians don’t need to invent new genres and throw all manner of sonic gizmos and musical gimmicks into their music. It’s enough to just be good at what you do—better still, be great at what you do.
Joe Wilkinson is a case in point; his songs drift through a rootsy-country-folky-Americana soundscape, all well-established and much-trod pathways, but the songs that he forges from these familiar threads are the real revelation.
“Travellin’ On” is that ode to a free-spirited life; drums drive, acoustic six-strings strum energetically, steel guitars float past, and pianos wander through the spaces between. Yes, you might have heard it all before, but rarely done this well.
“Lost Until I’m Found” wanders into the more balladic end of alt-rock, a darker yet no less optimistic vibe drenched in seductive Hammond organ, “Sometimes We Need Love” is forged from shimming shards of guitar and heartfelt sentiments, and “Last Breath of Life” is Joe’s, “Don’t Go Gentle Into That Good Night” moment – gentle, poetic, beautiful and defiant.
If you are an artist working in the broad country-rock/Americana field and wonder why you are not getting noticed, listening to _Fences_ will tell you exactly where you are going wrong. You need to up your standards, raise the sonic benchmark, write great songs; that is the simple truth; it’s exactly what Joe Wilkinson does here.
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