Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

A Sunday night in, the chance to rest, perhaps fall asleep in front of the usual television offering that the last day of the week affords, is a tempting offer. The weekend over, the winding down and wrestling with the thoughts of another seven days firmly implanted into the mind, is perhaps unavoidable and yet somewhere along the line, surely that means missing out on something nice, something tangible and with meaning, a sound that is haunting and beautiful, a set of songs in which the musician opens his heart live on stage and lets the words flow meaningful and with honour.

James Wyatt places his guitar at the forefront of the stage and the voice becomes an subtle attraction, a scintillating moment of Sunday splendour, and yet, with the addition of Josh Bentley’s and Danny Miller’s brass section by his side, the sound is unforgettable, it lingers long in the ethereal mists as the weary way back home is attempted and the poignancy of the softness of the Jazz era classic instrument joins hands with the mellowness of Mr. Wyatt’s voice and a feeling of evocative charm descends on the crowd inside Studio 2 on Parr Street. This is what Sunday nights were meant for, the chance to take in something new and bold.

January can be seen as a long, almost desperate month, it is the period of wolves, of huddled fires and short days where bleakness reigns, February could be seen in the same way if people allow it to be; an inherited hangover from Roman times when the winter months were lumped together in one lengthy banner and dismissed as being nothing. February should be seen in the light when growth restarts, yes it’s just as bleak, the cold drilling into the bones as if being searched for a mineral wealth that will see the world’s population contribute to the next oil rush, but it’s also the period when bands start coming out again, when musicians start offering their souls to the masses once and in James Wyatt the soul was offered with no hesitation in character or ability inside Studio 2.

With songs such as For The Both of Us, the wonderful Charlotte, The Water, Home Again and the chilling scenic magnetism of The Winter, James Wyatt set a standard that cannot be denied by anyone going through the doors of Studio 2 during the remainder of the year.

Sit back and relax by all means, take stock of what is to come, however by doing it in the company of James Wyatt and his music, the soul will thank you more for appeasing its demand for stimulus than by ever giving into winter solitude.

Ian D. Hall