Album Review: William Crighton - William Crighton

For the last few years William Crighton has been building a strong buzz around his songs and live performances — both solo and with his band.

Finally we see the fruition of his songwriting and recording with this mesmerising debut album. There's a dark weight to Crighton's music both in subject matter and delivery, with songs often built on uplifting melancholic arrangements, some fine playing and supreme melodic phrasing. Bruised romanticism seems an apt description of Crighton's emotive alt-country/folk and unassumingly Australian songs. The confessional Woman Like You, the Riverina stomp of Priest and the bristling, brooding rock groove of Jesus Blues are but three highlights from this exceptional debut.