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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
In the near-constant deluge of singer-songwriters to emerge in recent years, Willy Mason towers above the rest through sheer quality. Listening to the 12 tracks on his debut album Where the Humans Eat, you'd be forgiven for mistaking this 20-year-old native of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts for someone much older and more experienced. His off-kilter delivery--a bit off-key, a bit off-time--is just part of his charm. But Mason's real talent is as a songwriter, and he is almost without peer amongst his contemporaries. "It's a hard hand to hold / that is looking for control" he sings on "Hard Hand to Hold", a song about homelessness and disaffection that never preaches or judges. His keen observations and deft lyrics place him in an American tradition that includes Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams. Like the best protest singers, Mason is not motivated by anger at the way the world is, but hope in what the world can be. As a result, Where the Humans Eat is sweet, simple and altogether excellent. --Robert Burrow
Product Description
Where the Humans Eat, the debut full-length album from this Martha's Vineyard native, is a sweet and soulful testament to youth's subtle, inherent brilliance. This is no ordinary teenager; he's a charming, graceful troubadour who's just as comfortable opening for The Grateful Dead as he is Death Cab for Cutie, delivering music easily cherished by all crowds and cross sections.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I came across this album whilst reading one of my girlfriends magazines! They were discussing the new wave of singer/songwriters and had put Willy in a list that included Daniel Powter and James Blunt. Some people just don't get it do they? Anyway I still bought Willy's record, and i'm glad i did because it's a beauty. Sure, Willy Evokes Maggies Farm era Bob Dylan, but there's also some Tom Waits and maybe even some Elliot Smith in there too. He's not a a particularly gifted singer, but I would happilly trade one man earnestly singing his own songs, for a thousand boneheads like Blunt and Powter. Take Oxygen:
"I wanna see through all the lies of society
To the reality, happiness is at stake
I wanna hold up my head with dignity
Proud of a life where to give means more than to take"
Now there are people in the music industry today that could sit with a guitar on their lap for the next twenty years and never write a song as good as that. Nice work Willy.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This release somehow slipped passed the BM! Radar in 2005 and what a miss! If the music wasn't familiar to me, the name was and enough so to make parting with my money less of a tear. A wonderful example of how the Blues can, and really should, sound for the "today"...steeped in the traditions yet moving on with individuality. Most white 20-somethings (yes, he really is only in his early 20's although his weathered/"lived" vocals will surely have you checking this isn't some 60-year old undiscovered Blues master) playing the Blues today are either obsessed with pretentious solo's or have chosen to fuse the genre with Punk in order to create the impression of "new" - where Willy stands out is through lack of a needed disguise or gimmick; like all the greats who've gone before him it's about "the song" and "the song" rightly comes before anything else (to be fair if you've got a great song you don't need to spend 10 minutes making love to your strat, do you?). Through the lyric comparisons with the likes of Dylan are understandable - keenly observing the current world and expressing these observations dexterously (covering war, deprivation, poverty...), what any Blues artist should do, right? A quality songster who can bring cultural awareness, brutality and pain right into your living room but will leave you feeling charmed and invigorated upon leaving. Truly remarkable.
©Blues Matters!
©Blues Matters!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Gracie
Format:Audio CD
October 12th 2004 sees the release of the outstanding debut album from Martha's Vineyard native Willy Mason. Much more than just another singer/songwriter, 2004 has seen his firm establishment on the music scene. It certainly has been a remarkable year or so for Mason, who only graduated from High School last year and is still only 19. Performing with his family since around the age of 11 (both parents are professional recording artists, and his 16-year-old brother Sam plays drums on the record), his break came following a backstage meeting with Conor Oberst. The Bright Eyes' frontman was suitably impressed and soon signed him to his new project, Team Love, alongside labelmate Tilly And The Wall.
He has already opened for an array of artists, from The Grateful Dead to Ben Kweller, Death Cab For Cutie to Roseanne Cash. His retro, can't-quite-put-your-finger-on-it sound combined with 21st century, media savvy and social commentary lyrics gives him a wide appeal to listeners.
The album is filled with a diverse collection of songs written by Mason, who says optimistically, "We can speak louder than ignorance", while on the other hand makes criticism of modern society in "The dry erase board on your front door shows the world your personality". The record's lively opener, "Gotta Keep Movin'", quite accurately describes the life Mason has been leading as of late.
Highlights of the album include "Our Town", written after a less than amicable confrontation with NYC cops, "Where The Humans Eat", a song about his cats, and the catchy "So Long". Two of the songs from his previously recorded EP, the soon-to-be-released single "Hard Hand To Hold" and radio favourite "Oxygen" also appear on the full length record.
After listening to the album, one gets a sense of intimate, personal acquaintance with Mason. Most of the songs are clearly autobiographical; 2 were sprung from written communications with a friend, and "21st Century Boy" is written in ode to another friend who passed away. Mason advises, "You're just a kid, you shouldn't read Dostoefsky at your age", but this is obviously one kid well ahead of his time.
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4.4 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK
It was recommended as a follow up to another artist I liked. It is ok, but at present I can't remember any tracks.
Published 4 months ago by D. M. Burke
5.0 out of 5 stars
awesome
i absolutely love it we had the pure good luck of seeing him live at the social in notts and even though he was ill with sore throat his singing was still great. Read more
Published on 27 Jan 2006 by chinagirl
5.0 out of 5 stars
wow
This album is a work of genius. Every single track is inspiring. You may have to get to grips with his particularly rustic singing voice, but once you do it is worth it. Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2006 by ross whatling
5.0 out of 5 stars
Give it a second glance
This took me a while to do. I wrote a review of the Untitled EP the day after I saw him and bought the CD. I had to listen to this for a long time before it really sunk in. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2005 by Sam Bennis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Where the humans listen
Where the humans eat is an amazing peice of music. It has elements of both country and rock fused together with strong lyrics. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2005
4.0 out of 5 stars
willy mason - where the humans eat
Athough at first listening this may seem like a pale modern imitaion of bob dylan, i would deffinatly say it is worth listening to. Read more
Published on 5 July 2005
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lyrical Genius.
On playing this album in my office and to anyone else's ears that I can steal, I have come to the conclusion that "Where The Humans Eat" is a real marmite type album. Read more
Published on 23 Jun 2005 by "gumbo81"
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Wonderful
Yes, the lyrics and sentiments of Willy Mason's songs are wonderful and beautiful but I think the excellence of his actual music is being overlooked. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2005
1.0 out of 5 stars
A note of caution
I bought this on the strength of the reviews I have read on this site and others, but frankly I think this artist is oversold.
The off-key, lazy vocals irritate. Read more
The off-key, lazy vocals irritate. Read more
Published on 6 May 2005
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly great songwriting
I first heard oxygen on the radio and was instantly moved by the voice and the sentiment. He seems to be able to convey a depth of feeling with the simplest of phrases that is the... Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2005 by Raman Sharma
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