Tom Wilson — Dog Years

Dog Years

True North

Shannon Whibbs (CHARTattack)

02/28/2006 11:45am

Junkhouse were cool. The faux-funk of Wilson's 2001 Planet Love album wasn't. Dog Years, on which Hamilton's gravel-throated troubadour delivers a solid dose of rootsy blues-rock, is more the former than the latter. Roseanne Cash supplies backing vocals on "Talk Of The Town," and appearances from Garry Tallent (E Street Band), Richard Bell (The Band, Janis Joplin) and Dave Roe (Johnny Cash) flesh out Wilson's introspective musings. "I'm In Love With The System" is a classic "down-on-yer-luck" commentary that Wilson is well known for. The Tin Pan Alley plonky piano of "Because Of You" and the slide-guitar shimmy of "Tell It Like It Is" help keep the album nicely paced. Wilson keeps it real without apology or pretension.

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