"Phil Hooley has one of those voices, as smooth as melted chocolate and able to wrap itself around a lyric and draw you into the song. If the songs are good, then you have a winning formula. The songwriters Hooley looks up to include Guy Clark, John Prine and Nick Lowe. Exalted company, so it’s good news that ‘Songs from the Back Room’ has plenty of songs that deserve the comparisons."
​
‘Midasville’ is a tale of a down at heel world that Tom Waits would feel right at home in. When AUK previewed the video for ‘Come Home’ we mentioned the players’ “precision performances”. And that goes for much of the rest of the album. Pedal Steel player Scott Poley’s work on ‘Maybe Later’ and ‘Trust Your Heart’ echoes the words and complements the guitar and understated organ playing to perfection. Country rocker ‘Pour Me A Drink’ comes straight out of the seventies. “If you want to know my story from the bottom of a glass. You won’t be the first, and you sure won’t be the last.”
Songs from The Back Room
​"Hooley says of his songs, “I would like to think that they are fairly self-explanatory, although I accept, they may mean different things to different people.” This is particularly true on opening song, ‘Learning to Be Still’. There is nothing especially original about it, and the electric guitar adds a definite touch of Dire Straits, but it is a good song well played and just great to listen to. In fact, Mark Knopfler is not a bad comparison for his voice with the relaxed delivery and straightforward words. With the time to let the songs and the performances grow in the recording process, this is another fine entry in a vintage year for Americana albums."
​
​
This review is courtesy of Tim Martin at Americana UK. You can read the full review here.
An easy confidence comes through from an artist who knows just what works with his voice and words.
​
When it comes to his second album, Phil Hooley is very much a believer in less is more. The ten tracks on the Yorkshire-based singer-songwriter’s newest release were initially recorded with more bells and whistles, only for Hooley and producer Justin Johnson, realising the sound didn’t do justice to the songs, to make the decision to strip them back down to their bare bones. The songs were given proper room to breathe; drum tracks were removed, but fiddle, cello, piano and guitar stayed.
Provenance
“Sometimes in the recording process, you can get carried away with the instrumentation and the technological side of things and lose sight of the meaning of the songs,” Hooley reflected on ‘Provenance’ and how its title came about. “This time I felt sure of what I wanted to happen with the songs. I had the confidence to make the changes required in order to refocus on the lyrics. I think it was well worth it. The lyrics are what my songwriting is all about.” And frankly, when Hooley’s quiet yet confident voice is given space to command attention against stripped-back instrumentals, there is simply no disputing that.
​
​
This review is courtesy of Tim Martin at Americana UK. You can read the full review here.
