  
It's been a staggering 33 years since former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman released his last proper solo album. Admittedly he hasn't been taking it too easy in the interim - he has released several albums with his Rhythm Kings band and tours with them regularly.
"Back to Basics" came about when he was archiving some old demos a year ago and found he had 60 songs that he'd never released. He chose three of those songs to re-work and then wrote new songs to go with them and then recorded them in his recording studio. He was joined in the recording studio by longtime collaborator Terry Taylor, Graham Broad, Mark Knopfler’s colleague Guy Fletcher, and Robbie McIntosh.
With a career like his, Bill Wyman has nothing left to prove so is able to record as and when he wants and more importantly to record what he loves, rather than being under pressure to make a commercial success. That does show in the album. It's got a very laid back feel to it - there are no blaring guitars or loud rock and roll songs, instead it's a more bluesy album.
The guitars are quite understated, with the listener's attention being drawn toward Wyman's vocals. There are riffs that remind me of Creedence Clearwater revival, while others have more of a 50s or 60s feel, and at other times there's a more Latin feel - it's music that doesn't sit in one genre but instead picks sounds from multiple genres and fuses them together to create some really good music.
With the understated use of the instruments and Wyman's great vocals the music is extremely easy to listen to - there's something about them that just makes you want to hear more. I've listened to the album a lot over the last week or two and it's perfect for listening to when you want to relax and chill out.
It's a great album and is highly recommended.
"Back to basics" will be released on 22nd June 2015
Track listing:
1. What & How & If & When & Why
2. I lost my ring
3. Love, love, love
4. Stuff (can't get enough)
5. Running back to you
6. She's wonderful
7. Seventeen
8. I'll pull you through
9. November
10. Just a friend of mine
11. It's a lovely day
12. I got time |
