Search - Willie Nile :: Willie Nile

Powerful, Timeless Work

Jacob Baldassini | Sudbury, MA USA | 12/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the sound of this CD, it could have been released anywhere between 1965 and yesterday. Every track is worth listening to, a rare occurrence in my CD library. The tracks have a wide range of styles. About half are bouncy, light rock songs ("Vagabond Moon", "That's The Reason"). At the ends of the spectrum, there is a little fast, hard rock ("Sing Me A Song", "Old Men Sleeping On The Bowery"), and a few powerful, piano driven ballads ("Across The River", "Edge Of The Earth"). A few of the light rock songs also have comical elements, such as "They'll Build A Statue Of You". The wide stylistic range allows the CD to work for almost any mood. This excellent, yet surprisingly obscure CD should grace your CD collection before it vanishes for another twenty years."

The Whatever Happened To Dept.

Clark Paull | Murder City | 06/26/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Another major talent adrift in a sea of obscurity, Willie Nile's eponymous debut album is nothing short of a revelation. Mix in equal parts Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Nils Lofgren, and what you get are Nile's celebratory tales of life and love, all delivered in his trademark reedy tenor and supported by a crackling rockin' band. "Vagabond Moon" kicks this album off with a bang, just a wonderful, melodic, straight ahead rock and roll song, nothing more and nothing less. No studio gimmicks are evident and the entire album has a one-take feel to it. What puzzles me however is why this CD pressing fails to include the album's best tune,"I'm Not Waiting," present on both the vinyl and first CD pressing. Loses one star for that reason only."