Review: Graham Whorley

Graham Whorley - Permission To Think (Independent)
Graham Whorley was born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, but 15 years ago he packed his bags and set out for Charleston, SC. He made a beeline for the local music scene, and soon became a live attraction, either solo or with his three-piece band. “Permission To Think” is his third album of original songs.

Whorley sings and plays all the instruments, and although he’s working from an indie Southern rock template, he never allows himself to get too close to his influences. The result is a style and sound that’s truly difficult to pigeonhole, which is always a good thing. Americana, rock, folk, funk and spoken word are incorporated, and there’s even a nod to the Dead’s Bill Kreutzmann with a track simply entitled “Drums”. He follows it with one called “Words” – I suspect he’s not without a sense of humour, though quite possibly it’s bone dry.

There are 14 tracks on “Permission To Think” and no shortage of fine songs. “The Gate” provides an early rush with its insistent groove and Whorley’s fragile tone. “These Things” lives in a shack between Dr. John’s southern mansion and Tom Waits’ Sonoma County spread, and “No One Knows” presents great unknowns, as if read from a City Lights book of free verse. “UFO” is just as mysterious, but he saves his best for nearly last; “Devil's Beating His Wife Again”, with it’s lazy, languid rhythm, addictive vocal hook and psychedelic guitar coda is the one that ‘repeat’ buttons were made for.
http://grahamwhorley.com/
Rob F.