"A Nick Drake vibe" is one anecdotal reference heard about this record which I'm going to borrow and plant at the outset of a few words in support of the latest album by Rupert Wates. Initially I heard shades of Richard Thompson in the vocal style of an exiled Brit who has lived in the States for many years and is an established member of a tight knit folk singer-songwriter circuit heavily bound by the annual Kerrville shindig. Although far from a Nick Drake authority, there are echoes of a sparse and personalised delivery to get the drift.
LAMENTATIONS is a record that requires a touch of wavelength tuning. Eventually the sole voice, sole guitar and introspective songs find the right band to induce the listener into a state of sedate contentment. Rupert Wates is an lyricist, songwriter and musician with a lengthy back catalogue. You get the impression the well rarely runs dry and this enthralling effort joins the dots as 2020 inches towards its conclusion.
