Having garnered an impressive reputation as a producer and gun musician for hire, Jonathan Wilson has delivered an incredibly assured and frankly at times gob-smacking debut with Gentle Spirit. Hailing from North Carolina but now residing in the infamous Laurel Canyon, Wilson is clearly a man who likes to soak up his surroundings. The canyon circa 1972 is all over this record (check out the totally gnarly artwork!) and the spirits of everyone from CSNY, Jackson Browne and Pink Floyd echo with glorious reverence through Wilson’s tunes. With such epics as Desert Raven and Natural Rhapsody the overall mood is mellow to say the least but it’s Wilson’s vision, sheer ambition, impeccable production and the all-star musical talent on display that make this record transcend pastiche and work in such a spectacular way. I’d been reading great things about this record in the UK music mags months ago and feared it would be one more great piece of work denied a local release but lo and behold … Highly, highly recommended and can’t wait for the vinyl.

Declan Murphy is from Readings St Kilda