Dan Webster is a British singer-songwriter who has been described as the fusion of folk and country. On his fourth album, Devil Sky, much of the country influence comes from his band which includes Joshua Burnell, of whom we have spoken before, Emily Lawler on violin and Polly Bolton on mandolin who share much of the musical decoration. Dan doesn’t write country songs but sometimes they just turn out that way.
The opening track, ‘Playing Cards & Late Night Bars’, harks back to a song on his second album, catching up with the protagonists ten years on. After a folky introduction it sounds exactly like the title suggests it should and it’s followed by ‘Home Again’, a melancholy road song with a neat lyrical twist and a big arrangement. ‘Bo’ opens with unaccompanied harmony before kicking off into the first really country-sounding song. It’s actually about Dan’s son, Ben, who sings on the track and I guess that the words have a deep meaning for father and son but for the rest of us it’s a fun song.
Some of Dan’s songs have a point to make and ‘Freedom In Suburbia’ is pre-eminent among them. It might be thought a little heavy-handed but the thing is that the title is a threat rather than a celebration which is clever. There’s a great deal of sadness here: ‘Haul Away’, ‘Mary Anne’ and ‘Sand’ are all pretty miserable, beautifully performed but definitely not cheerful. ‘Joe’ is a modern take on a murder ballad with the whole process from unlawful killing to execution condensed into a week with another twist in the tale.
Dan has assembled a very fine band and his production is excellent. That said, Devil Sky, isn’t an album I’d select for a little light listening.
Dai Jeffries
Artist’s website: www.danwebster.co.uk
‘Playing Cards & Late Night Bars’:
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