Willie Wisely

As a prelude to a newly recorded album from Wisely (his now officially abbreviated moniker) slated for release in the upcoming year, Linus of Hollywood's Franklin Castle label brought out Go!, an "introduction" to one of the most lamentably overlooked pop/rock virtuosos of the 1990s. And it is properly labeled as such since there was so much top-drawer music on the singer/songwriter's magnificent pair of solo albums, She and Turbosherbert. It is not at all difficult to figure out why Linus of Hollywood would want to rescue the artist's legacy from the undeserved obscurity into which it had fallen. First of all, as writers and performers, both artists share many of the same influences, stylistic leanings, and musical antecedents (Wisely, too, particularly sounds like a dead ringer for Emitt Rhodes at times, best heard here on the title track), yet both manage to fit predilections for sonic diversity and experimentation into singular sounds. And simply put, this is rich stuff from both songwriting and melodic standpoints, and beautifully performed to boot. Nitpickers could quibble here or there with the song selection. All the best tracks from Turbosherbert are accounted for, but even with the inclusion of six of its songs, the compilation only begins to scratch the surface of the brilliant She, the reason Go! qualifies as an introduction rather than a survey. Especially missed are "Love Is Wrong," a sort of stylistic pastiche and thematic inversion of the Beatles' communal singalong "All You Need Is Love," and the gorgeously jazzy, '70s-synth-lined "Make Love." So, Go! does not entirely replace the artist's earlier albums, but it is a wonderful stand-in option and a much-deserved celebration, until you can track down those now-deleted items, which pop/rock fans owe it to themselves to seek out. Most recording artists would kill to have greatest-hits collections this top-to-bottom superb. ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide