Will Dailey – Back Flipping Forward

Will Dailey – Back Flipping Forward / 2007 CBS / 10 Tracks / http://www.willdailey.com / http://www.cbs.com /

Will Dailey has been around the Boston independent music scene for a few years. 2004 marked the release of Dailey’s first disc, “GoodByeRedBullet”, which pushed 10,000 copies in sales. Individuals that are not immediately familiar with Dailey’s work may have still heard Dailey in the past. Songs of eir have been present on shows such as CSI: Miami, Jericho, NCIS, and The Young and The Restless. I guess it makes that sense that “Back Flipping Forward” is on CBS Records.

 Well, the re-release of “Back Flipping Forward” is on CBS; Dailey released the album to critical acclaim once before, in April of 2006. Individuals that have this first version of “Back Flipping Forward” still need to pick up this version, for a number of reasons. The style of rock that Dailey plays is something that is interesting in the sense that it sounds like a more soulful, more honest version of a John Maher. I have no doubt that it will be easy for Dailey to go forth and really capture the minds and hearts of a number of individuals on the college circuit. Whether eir fame will expand when CBS gives this album proper publicity is to be seen, but Dailey makes a strong case for this album based on eir work here. The production is strong without being stifling, the arrangements thoughtful without otherwise sounding trite or too experimental.

More interesting to me is the fact that unlike a Maher, Johnson, or Matthews, Will Dailey is able to make an entire album work within a specific theme. This means that individuals know exactly what album a song like “Yesterday’s Gone” or “Rise” is coming from; different tracks have a common thread that links them inexorably to each other and to the whole of “Back Flipping Forward”. If you are a fan of this very vibrant and energetic take on the singer songwriter paradigm, pick up “Back Flipping Forward”. I have no doubt in my mind that Dailey is just one of the lineage that leads all the way back to Bob Dylan, in that the instrumentation that ey provides and the heart and spirit that ey imbues each track on the disc with is similar to that of the great mumble mouthed legend. Also, if you hear some rumbling about Dailey playing live – take the opportunity. I have little doubt in my mind that the live performance takes all of the strengths from the studio and adds more of Dailey’s vim and vigor.

Top Tracks: Yesterday’s Gone, Rise

Rating: 6.2/10