North Carolina-bred producer and session man Jonathan Wilson (Dawes, Will Oldham, Erykah Badu) digs the old shit – like the Mellotron, buttery-toned Hofner bass and '69 Gibson ES 345 electric guitar he uses on this debut. Recorded on analog tape and conceived as a vinyl double LP, Gentle Spirit is a set of gorgeously detailed folk-rock ambles, most over six minutes long. Together they create a seamless mood, the sound of a chill living-room jam session where Wilson, in reality, is often the only player. Classic- rock memes flash like fireflies (see the "Dark Star"-meets-Dark Side of the Moon guitars of "Natural Rhapsody") but remain just out of reach. It's a vintage sound determined to live in the present.
Listen to "Gentle Spirit":
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