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Reviewed by Jesse Austin

Tony Richards: The Wetland Tracks

Reviewed by Jesse Austin

Tony Richards: The Wetland Tracks

Filled with pure, unadulterated songwriting, Tony Richards’ sophomore album pays strong attention to lyrics and melody. Leading track 1969 Is All You Need lyrically references classic albums of that year, and also draws strong musical comparisons to the ’60s. While a lot of the album’s focus is on the vocal and lyrical content, there are a number of exciting instrumental moments. The sporadic saxophone from Andrew Miller in Step Off The Earth adds nicely to the flavour of the album, while the violin by Richard Adams in Possibilities fills in the gaps in the vocal melody smoothly. Jennie Cruse’s voice adds some soothing Norah Jones-like harmonies to In Fallen Down. Recorded mostly at Allan Williams’ Marua Road Studios, many of the songs are stripped back to their core, with the prime instrumentation just being guitar and vocals. This is really emphasised through Chris Parisi’s mixing and helps the vibe of the album recall production of the ’60s. Following Richard’s 2013 album, this is another strong selection of songs.

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