Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

In 2016 and with little fanfare, Inverness-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jo Wilson turned out a project which was to my ears the album of the year and a stunning work of art. The son of Caedmon bassist Sam Wilson, Jo has taken the art of watchmaking as a metaphor for his musings on creation, the universe, faith and such like - played out with intricacy here in "The Watchmaker's Waltz" - and whilst Jo's sound is very much his own, there are definite hints of 'Smile'-era Brian Wilson with quirky instrumentation and snippets of songs being sown together to make a patchwork quilt of an album that at time could almost be something from Sufjan Stevens. Vocally, Wilson has a distinctive if unrefined voice slightly reminiscent of Scott Walker and there's a delightful sense of drama to the way he delivers his lines - much as if they were being performed on stage as part of an imaginary experimental musical. Refreshingly impossible to pigeon-hole, the album bounces between quiet acoustic numbers such as "Still Life" and prog rock epics like the lengthy but satisfying "Drones". The underlying modern jazz feel betrays a complexity to Wilson's work thanks to his high level of skill as a multi-instrumentalist and arranger. Covering matters of faith in cryptic and poetic fashion, the striking "Peter's Out" takes the Bible passage about Jesus walking on the water as its basis whilst the exquisite "I've Seen Enough" is one of a handful of tracks that sees Wilson ask some pretty big questions about God and faith to help him establish that, whilst he does not have all the answers, there is more evidence to suggest there is a Creator than not. Whilst Wilson is the main man, vocalist Lee-Anne MacLennan, alto saxophonist Tim Buick and Doug Hutchison on trumpet add the icing on the cake of this hidden gem of an album.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.