VAN WALKER – UNDERNEATH THE RADAR
If there was ever a valid reason for a compilation then this is it. Underneath The Radar explains the reason for this album; an album that gathers tracks from Van Walkers five solo albums to date and places them in one convenient place so that Melbourne’s best kept musical secret may be let out to the world. Van Walker is a songwriter from the old school, a story-teller in the tradition of a Dylan or a Paul Kelly. His musical roots are firmly planted in folk and blues soil. Growing up in the isolation of Tasmania Walker is a man who is comfortable in his own company, a man who enjoys the singular, disciplined process of songwriting. In his own words: “You get this idiosyncratic take on life from this character you probably wouldn’t even let inside your house in person!” All these songs have been re-mastered from the original, and they sit together perfectly as a collection. From the acoustic live favorite Wildgrass straight into the pop of Down to Earth; what is immediately evident to the uninitiated is Walker’s tunes have that immediate appeal of classic songwriting. This is an album that will sound as good in fifty years as it does today, just don’t wait that long to give it a listen.
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