Night -Time Radio by Willow Springs.

So, I was wondering what to do with myself on this grey December day when a new CD popped through my letterbox. It is the new album by Willow Springs called Night-Time Radio. Willow Springs is the brainchild of Mark Crockard who is a singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland. I first heard of Mark when he played with an excellent Van Morrison tribute band called Celtic Soul who I saw at the party to celebrate Van’s 70^th birthday in 2015. This is Willow Springs second album and I have spent a very pleasant afternoon listening to it. As well as singing, Mark plays harmonica, acoustic & electric guitars, percussion, keyboards, banjo, and upright & electric bass. Also on the album are Lisa Brady on vocals, Rik Gay on drums & percussion, Keith Ward on piano & keyboards, Marcus McAuley on acoustic guitar & mandolin, Richard Nelson on pedal steel guitar, Vic Bronzini-Fulton on guitar, John McKinley on trumpet and Jim ‘The King’ Brown who sings on two songs.

I suppose you could describe the music as Americana. If you like country-rock I am sure you will love this album. Once I started listening, I forgot about genres and just enjoyed it as great music. The opening track is called Together, a duet between Mark and Lisa with tasteful piano and pedal steel guitar accompaniment. Same Old, Same Old Thing features Lisa again, in a jazzier bluesy mood with Richard’s pedal steel guitar to the fore. It Takes A Little Time is much rockier, driven along by electric guitar and great piano playing. Hello Friend has the great voice of Jim ‘The King’ Brown. You would swear it was Elvis singing. On Willow Springs Facebook page I saw that Jim has been suffering from Covid 19. I wish him a full recovery and hope it has not affected his great voice. Lisa sings again on I’ll Do Whatever It Takes. What a nice voice she has. This song also has a wonderful guitar solo by Vic Bronzini-Fulton. The eponymous title song Night-Time Radio is next and is possibly my favourite track after two listens. It reminded me slightly of Michael Nesmith’s early solo work or the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It is a great song anyway. The heartfelt A Darker Shade Of Blue is accompanied by tasteful discreet harmonica and banjo. To Be With You is another Elvis style big ballad by Jim. I love it, especially the Duane Eddy twangy guitar sound. I wonder what Elvis would have thought of this song.

Boulder, Rock Or Stone is a much quieter affair. Why Did I Ever Fall In Love With You? Is a simple arrangement which again features effective acoustic guitar playing by Marcus McAuley. The laid-back mood continues with Thanks For Believing which is perfect music for a cold winters day. A Party On Saturday Night is much livelier. A Tex-Mex flavoured dance tune featuring frenetic trumpet playing by John McKinley. Marcus’s acoustic guitar is again featured on the final track I’ll See You Somewhere Down The Road which brings this most enjoyable album to a close. Congratulations to everyone who worked on this project, especially the multi-talented Mark Crockard.