Bill has selected ‘Seventeen’ as his track of the week for fans, taken from Bill’s solo album Back To Basics – and you can listen to the entire track here.
Seventeen is taken from Bill’s solo album Back To Basics, and features Bill on vocals with the backing vocals of the wonderful Beverley Skeete. Seventeen is actually a remake of the original, found on Bill’s A&M album Bill Wyman.
Buy Back To Basics from Bill’s official online store – signed by Bill Wyman himself!
Back To Basics does exactly what it says on the tin. It is unashamedly stripped back. The snappy lyrics are refreshingly audible and the instrumentation is clean, subtle and accomplished.
Back To Basics wears its influences on its sleeve – Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, JJ Cale – and there’s more than a passing nod to Bill’s own English background. It is that rare thing, a meld of styles and genres that actually work together – uplifting in a jaunty, dancey way and pensive in a bluesy, narrative way.
As might be expected from one of the world’s best known bass players Back To Basics drives along with a rhythmic muscularity, and then slows the pace for more autobiographical lyric and melody. It is an album that warrants repeated play. It is also an album that’s long overdue.
Buy Back To Basics from Bill’s official online store – signed by Bill Wyman himself!