Reviews
Artist:Rab Noakes and Brooks Williams Album: Should We Tell Him
Label: Red Guitar Blue Music
Tracks: 11
Website: https://brookswilliams.com/album/2472845/should-we-tell-him-songs-by-don-everly
"It all joins up" to quote Rab Noakes, a near Everly Brothers completist, whose first gig after moving to Glasgow in 1963 from Fife was Don and Phil at the Odeon. American and now UK resident Brooks Williams had known Noakes' music since his teens and famously included one Rab song in every gig he did for the first five years he was professional. The pair met when Brooks invited Noakes to sing on his LUCKY STAR album. A friendship and musical connection was started although it took five years from initial planning to recording to hatch SHOULD WE TELL HIM. Significantly the pair bonded over a shared love of the 1958 Everly's album SONGS OUR DADDY TAUGHT US, a collection of songs learnt from Ike Everly. Therein is the seed of these recordings. "It all joins up" indeed.
This collection of favourite songs was recorded in Blantyre's Chem19, with Brooks and Rad playing guitar and singing side by side, separated by a perspex screen, surrounded by the band you hear on the album, there is a spirit of early rock and an honesty.
"It Only Costs A Dime", "I'll Never Get Over You" and "Should We Tell Him" are sweet country rockers, the harmonies are tight and Conor Smith's pedal steel and Brooks' acoustic lead are a delight. "Sigh, Cry Almost Die" has a little lyrical bite and that lovely period yelp in the vocals. The band are perfectly restrained with Signy Jakobsdottir's understated percussion and Smith's tasty lead licks. "I'm Not Angry" is a wonderful piece of warm snappy early rock n roll. Brooks and Rab alternate lead on the delightfully melancholic and slow "Hello Amy", with some stunning vaguely Tex Mex guitar too. "Since You Broke My Heart" has a, wonderful classic rock guitar hook, some wonderfully snarled vocals from Rab and Hillary Brooks' lyrical piano. With its natural intro and rolling piano and guitar lines "Maybe Tomorrow" is another fine melancholic love song, it's sound timeless. "That's Just Too Much" and "I Wonder If I Care As Much" are perfect examples of restraint and space with room around the instruments and the two vocalists. Touches of accordion, piano, inventive percussion and pedal steel are accents around the voices and guitars. Stripped back to the point of being a noir sketch is the eerie "It's All Over". Restraint creates atmosphere on a charged closer with an emotional lead vocal from Noakes. The final track on what turned out to be Rab Noakes final recording takes on a deeper significance and is a powerful closer.
"It all joins up" as Rab Noakes and Brooks Williams connect over mutually admiration of a classic songwriter and classic vocalists and produce a labour of love and a perfectly crafted delight.
Marc Higgins
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Should We Tell Him
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Pirate is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
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