A wonderful debut by a group of talented musicians all openly influenced by Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and Paul Kelly, with a generous helping of bluegrassy banjo, mandolin and resonator guitar to drive things along.
Featuring musicians from Melbourne (including the very prolific Sime Nugent) and Brisbane (including Danny Widdicombe), The Wilson Pickers' debut is a wonderful collection of catchy, original tunes.
"Graves Or Gold" is a great acoustic sing-along and "Cold River" features beautifully rich harmonies – these boys sure work nicely together.
While the recording quality varies between tracks, this rarely detracts from the high calibre of songwriting and instrumentation.
"Little Old Man" features a driving fiddle and the wonderful refrain “I’m just like a little old man, grumpy as can be”!
"How Long"begins with an old-timey gospel tinge before some fine picking and a melody reminiscent of "Will the Circle be Unbroken" kicks in. Widdicombe’s resonator guitar is a highlight on "Apple Grove".
Finishing with the delightfully laconic "Barman Blues" (complete with background bar-room noises!), Land of the Powerful Owl is a great album. My only gripe is that at 38 minutes, it’s far too short – gimme more!
ABC/Universal.
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