Willie Nile Children of Paradise
Willie Nile
Children of Paradise
River House Records
Willie Nile was born Robert Noonan in Buffalo New York in 1948. Nile attended the University of Buffalo and latter moved to Greenwich Village to begin his music career. He frequented New York’s CBGB’s were he first heard the Ramones.
The singer songwriter Nile released his self titled debut album on Arista Records in 1980. As a result he was invited to join “The Who” on their 1980 summer tour.
Niles’ third album 1991’s “Places I Have Never Been” released on Columbia Records included guest musicians Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright and Roger McGuinn. Niles’ last recording was 2017‘s “Positively Bob: Willie Nile sings Bob Dylan“. Nile admirers include Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Lucinda Williams and Little Steven.
“Children of Paradise“ is Niles 12th studio recording. Niles’ states “I made this album because I needed a pick me up from the blues that’s all around us. The music always lifts my spirits, and that’s what these songs do for me and it’s why I wrote them. Hopefully they can lift others spirits as well“.
“I thought from the time I started putting this album together that it was going to be something special. It’s full of fire and passion and spirit, and it feels like real life to me. It’s got all the power and promises of what I love best about rock ‘n’ roll. It’s heartfelt, pissed off, in love, on fire and out of its mind, all at the same time“.
The band includes Nile, guitar and piano; Matt Hogan, guitar; Johnny Pisano, bass; and John Weber, drums. Guest musicians include guitarist Stuart Smith who worked with Rodney Crowell, and keyboardist Andy Burton who worked with John Mayer.
Nile includes some timely songs such as “Seeds of a Revolution“; “All Dressed Up and No Place to Go”; “Getting Ugly Out There”; and “Don’t”. The latter contains the lyric “don’t let the suckers kill your buzz” and everything that rhymes with it. The album is co-produced with Grammy winner Stewart Lerman.
Both brash and sensitive this is a great alternative rock album from Willie Nile, the unofficial poet laureate of New York City.
Richard Ludmerer
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