David Lewis - Old World, New World

  by Tommy Gunnarsson

published: 13 / 8 / 2014

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Review

When the sun is out, David Lewis is a lecturer at the London School of Economics and Political Science, but when he sheds his academic costume, he becomes a folk singer. Not a very prolific one, as he has only released four albums in twentyyears, but since music-making is more or less his hobby, I guess you can't expect world tours and annual releases. The new album is once again a collaboration with his slightly more famous friend John Wesley Harding (or Wesley Stace, as his parents named him), and producer Chris von Sneidern, who both helps out on various instruments, together with Robert Lloyd. The first thing that becomes apparent when you listen to ’Old World, New World’ is that Lewis likes his singer-songwriters, especially those active in the 60's and 70's. His voice is as soft as lace, and the guitar picking is equally as soft. And even though the album contains some really good songs, I can't help but being a bit bored when listening to it. Normally, I prefer soft voices over the rough ones, but I guess this is a bit too much, even for my twee tastes. If you enjoy your folky singer-songwriters (and I often do!), this one's definitely for you. I, on the other hand, will probably forget this album quite soon. Which is a shame, really.

Track Listing:-

1 So Sing
2 Devil's Best Tune
3 The Great Unwind
4 World Without Shadows
5 A Thousand Clowns
6 Nothing to Something
7 Fall to Earth
8 Garden of Thorns
9 Darkness Overcome
10 Question Mark Stars
11 This Strange Land
12 The Sweet Hereafter

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-L