Album of the month : February 2000
Weeping Willows ( S) : « Endless night »
( Grand Recordings )
Beware! Don't be fooled by the guy with the CLASH album on the CD booklet photograph: it's not rock n' roll we're talking about here! Sweden's WEEPING WILLOWS started around the mid-90's as a country oriented cover band, playing classic songs by artists such as JOHNNY CASH, THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS, WILLIE NELSON, ROY ORBISON, and - of course - ELVIS PRESLEY.
Half a decade later, a few licks of pedal-steel guitar only remain here and there to remind of the band's formative years. WEEPING WILLOWS have undertaken a big change in their private icons' gallery : bye-bye country stars, hello great songwriters and arrangers of the 60's, LEE HAZLEWOOD, PHIL SPECTOR, JIMMY WEBB, JOHN BARRY, and - far ahead of the rest - BURT BACHARRACH, whose overwhelming shadow stands behind every note of this shimmering album.
Most of WEEPING WILLOWS' obvious charm - and incidentally some of their limits too - lies in the fact that they just play the game, straightforwardly, without the slightest hint of parody or irony. Often swinging on the edge of ridiculous but ultimately always falling on the right side, they wrap their four minutes symphonies in a luxurious coating of strings and horns, generously sprinkle the lot with vibraphones, glockenspiels and tympanis galore, and never show reluctance when it comes to add an extra-dose of twanging guitars and heavenly choirs. As a fervent adept of the « Less is best » rule, I should HATE this. But the fact is that it works, and quite well indeed ! With better lyrics, songs like the baroque When you're asleep and Where will you stay, or in a less affected style I close my eyes and the wonderful Looking for a home could even be very close to the boys' models. But one thing WEEPING WILLOWS didn't learn from their country days is that most great songwriters are also great storytellers. These BACHARRACH wannabe's have yet to find their own ELVIS COSTELLO.
In the meantime, enjoy the music and don't pay too much attention to the words.
GRAND RECORDINGS:
Booking-Agent: LUGER, ola@luger.se