I never could find the time to review Ryley Walker’s debut LP All Kinds of You; a beautiful, pastoral, penitent set of acoustic tunes that anyone with fondness of singer and guitar legends like John Martyn, John Fahey, Bert Jansch or more recently, William Tyler and Steve Gunn, should find it easy to fall in love with (just watch his full live performance on KEXP to see what I mean). Walker is only 24, and I’m pretty sure that the influences he’s so perceptibly wears will become more nuanced over time. But even so, his music is never mere pastiche, it’s genuine and full of warmth; a jazz and blues-fuelled journey that produced on of last year’s most consistent albums – a no brainer to include on our favorite albums of the year list.
“Primrose Green”, the title track from his upcoming new album released via Dead Oceans (Phosphorescent, The Tallest Man on Earth) , finds Walker diving deeper into piano-driven, lushly orchestrated, jazz-folk. No matter in which direction Walker pulls in, a certain unmistakable, wheeling, groove is starting to shape in place. “Primrose Green” is a brilliant introduction for those who haven’t yet heard this young guitar wizard, and the type of track that is sure to grow even more in the context of an album. Primrose Green is set for a March 31 release.
