Willie Wisely is back. That is `back` with a capital, italicized "B". Not Lame is proud to bring one of power pop`s very finest releases of this decade - and we mean this quite literally - to you all. Proof? Just listen below, forget the words here. But if you must read `the black `n white`, we`ll be happy to provide. Fans of Michael Penn, Jason Falkner, Owsley and Jellyfish, this belongs right alongside these greats. Other artists this may remind others of would include The Dotted Line, Brendan Benson and Bleu. Fantastic dynamic shifts abound in gorgeous, smooth, timeless melodies that glide gracefully over literate expressions of a rare talent. Over the top hyperbole? You bet, but it holds itself as an expression of `fact` so we`ll float down that river, thank you. Put it another way: This is the type of record you play for anyone who you want to show an example of what `great` power pop sounds like and simply say, "just listen".
"4 stars.. Back (in1996) he was an underappreciated, very talented practitioner of modern power pop; now he is more grown-up and his 2006 effort, Parador, isn`t a record that anyone under the age of 40 should even consider buying. It is a record for people who have lived, loved, lost and found, a record with deep, melancholy shadings that would do nothing but scare the pajamas off of anyone in the middle of enjoying their youth. Produced by Linus of Hollywood with a sure hand, the album is as slick as anything you might hear on the radio with rich layers of guitars, lush vocal harmonies, and a thoroughly professional feel. This slickness serves as camouflage for the bloody heart that beats inside the record, especially the stark and emotional ballads that anchor the album. The first two songs ("This Is Everything," "Too Quick to Love") pitch the listener right into the bleak, gray gloom with Wisely emoting over some very austere musical backing. Elsewhere you run across tearjerkers like "Through Any Window," an intimate and heartbreaking acoustic tune with Wisely`s most affecting vocal performance...thankfully there are a batch of lively rockers to contrast with the somber ballads and give the record some balance...Only the lovely "Staying Home Again," a rollicking love song with a nice Pernice Brothers feel, and the swaggering "Let Me Run Wild" give Wisely a chance to break free of the melancholy that pervades the rest of the record. They also help balance the tone of the record and give Parador a chance to sink in and grow on the listeners. It is the kind of record that needs a few spins to really start to take hold, but once it does, it carries some real emotional power. Willie Wisely fans will be pleased by Parador, and his exceedingly adult brand of power pop may even win him some new fans."-AMG.
Here`s a recent review to chew on: "With songs such as tangled This is Everything, the beautiful ballads Too Quick to Love and Erase Me and the breezy acoustic title track, Wisely extends a rapturous melodic embrace, a pull so deliriously intoxicating that it practically seems timeless. This is an artist that seems to write on instinct, as if his hooks have been here all along, merely waiting for an artist like Wisely to come along and pluck them from their resting place. Like Lennon and McCartney, Ray Davies and others of that ilk, he knows how to weave his way through songs that are straight-ahead, and yet still sensuous and seductive. If its been too long between releases, theres some compensation in the fact that this is indeed an artist who seems to belong to the ages. Ultimately, one can only suggest as way of commendation that anyone reading these words would be well-advised to latch on to Wisely. Quite simply, hes too good to get away."-Entertainment News. "Our fondness for L.A.`s one-man power-pop institution is no secret, but his latest disc, Parador, ups the ante by simultaneously smacking the pleasure center and fingerpicking the heartstrings. This title track (which may or may not reference Paul Mazursky`s banana-republic farce Moon Over Parador) conjures a lush terrain of the soul, but with each repeated injunction to "slip inside this dream of mine," Wisely`s territory stretches into grander and grander vistas it`s as though an inviting hammock has turned into a flying carpet. A gifted writer, musician, arranger and singer, Wisely is arguably the leading talent of the pop underground, and his flair for both melodic cogency and sonic atmosphere is hard to beat. "-EditorialEmergency.com. "10 out of 10 stars.. Recorded in 2006 with producer Linus of Hollywood, Willie uses French Horn, Cello, Violin, plus the usual suspects of guitar and drums to create 37 minutes of classic pop music. There`s no need to be a snob here, numerous Brit Pop bands would pay a fortune for songs of this calibre. Astute, sharp lyrics combine with soaring choruses and melodies that grow with each listen. After 2-3 plays this record works its way into your eardrums, not available in the UK at the moment - it`s worth paying the air freight."-AmericanaUK. "Working with a sympathetic producer, the brilliant Linus Of Hollywood, Wisely makes a gem of a disc.So what does Wisely sound like? He brings to mind Jason Falkner, but with a bit more adherence to rigid power pop standards if maybe Falkner with some Cliff Hillis mixed in. He has a deceptively terrific voice...Like the best pop records, even in the face of heartbreak, the quality of the melody and the songs provides some degree of uplift. This is a guitar pop album for grown ups, showing that you can be catchy and mature at the same time."-Mike
Bennett, Fufkin.com.
"Parador" is Wisely`s first studio album in 8 years. Why so long? Well, if you are going for pop perfection it does take time. And this one did and it pays off dividends unseen on the NY Stock Exchange. Willie Wisely, besides being an incredible multi-instrumentalist, has a voice that will remind folks of a combination of Emitt Rhodes and Jason Falkner and is perfectly suited for the `power pop` idiom. Produced exquisitely by Linus Of Hollywood, "Parador" has an instant familiarity for the trained `pop ear`; the songs will stick and will be instantly recognizable as classic. Congrats, you have made it this far with our own hype and pride, but you are wasting your time. Get down below and click on the large selection of tracks that give armament to the proclamation that the `proof is in the pudding`. About Wisely`s music AMG wrote in a 4 1/2 star review the following: "(his music has) predilections for sonic diversity and experimentation into singular sounds. And simply put, this is rich stuff from both songwriting and melodic standpoints, and beautifully performed to boot." Pop Perfection and one of 2006`s very best releases.
 Stayin` Home Again - mp3
This Is Everything - mp3
Let Me Run Wild - mp3
Erase Me - mp3
Too Quick Too Love - mp3
Altitudes - mp3
Joke - mp3
Through Any Window - mp3
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