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" Who would have expected Genesis after the departure
of Phil Collins to replace him with a singer who sounds
more like Peter Gabriel? Wilson a gifted Scottish singer/songwriter/guitarist
first hit it big with his band Stiltskin when a song they
performed ended up in a UK Levi's ad. That band's single
album from 1995 "The Mind's Eye" deserves a fair reassessment
(initially it was criticized for not being melodically memorable
enough and while that assessment may be true to some extent
it doesn't reflect the musical creativity and effort that
went into the making of the album) but, more importantly,
so does Wilson. ***
When "Calling All Stations" failed to set the charts
on fire Wilson took the brunt of the criticism because he
wasn't Phil Collins but, to be fair, Collins was no Peter
Gabriel either. Since the Wilson line-up of Genesis only
made one album Wilson wasn't allowed the chance to grow
into his role as front man and contribute any memorable
songs either (he did, however, pen some lyrics that ended
up on the album). Wilson first appeared on the prog rock
scene with his band Guaranteed Pure which released "Swing
Your Bag" (the title track ended up on Fish's compilation
of unknown bands "Outpatients '93"). ***
When Genesis cancelled the remainder of its world tour
and the band went on hiatus, Wilson returned to work doing
what he does best--crafting HIS music. his latest release
"Propaganda Man" continues to mine the rich vein of sound
that he established with his previous bands and it also
reminds Genesis fans why he was the PERFECT fit for the
line up after Phil Collins left. In fact, the only other
artist that I can think of who would have fit in as well
is the late great Kevin Gilbert. ***
From the opening cut to the final one "Propaganda Man"
gives Wilson's variation on what Gabriel era Genesis might
have sounded like if they came out today. It's more than
mere imitation or homage though as Wilson's expressive voice
dominates the proceedings and the rich, varied arrangements
give one the sense that it was Genesis that missed an opportunity
here NOT Wilson. The production perfectly compliments Wilson's
voice and my only complaint is that I probably would have
placed Wilson's vocals a bit higher up in the mix. ***
The mastering although not ideal is good for a modern
CD. There's more than a hint of dynamic range and the mastering
doesn't compress the music as badly like the horrible sounding
new releases were often getting (for example the recent
Metallic album which is a sonic mess on CD and the best
argument that A&R folks, musicians and producers need to
get their hearing checked). What's really the strongest
point of the album though are Wilson's songs and his confident
vocals. Even though it was some time ago that Wilson was
relieved of his duties as front man for Genesis most singers
would have had their confidence shaken by the events that
occurred. Instead, Wilson seemed like he was revitalized
and for good reason; he had something to prove about his
music. Genesis fans can be fickle lot many abandoned the
band when Gabriel left, some lost interest when Hackett
flew the coop. When Collins managed to attract a whole new
mainstream audience to Genesis with his more accessible
pop driven production touches and songwriting skills (which
revitalized a band that could easily have found itself at
a dead end), those more recent fans were the ones that gave
Wilson's line up a wide berth. Too bad because the intelligent,
often witty songwriting that fuels this album proves that
they were idiots. ---
Final Words:
A powerful, rich prog album that gives the talented
Wilson his due, "Propaganda Man" proves that he was the
perfect front man to take over Genesis after Collins left.
This album and the solo albums he recorded after the band
booted him and went into hiatus proves one thing--that if
the band had decided to hang tough and return to the studio
they would have produced a stunning series of worthwhile
albums that recalled both eras of the band. It's a pity
that Wilson got the blame for the poor selling"Calling All
Stations" and the lukewarm reception for the tour but it
had nothing to do with his talent; it was the fickle fans
that abandoned the band that were to blame for not recognizing
Wilson's talent and the potential for worthwhile music with
their third lead singer. If you're one of those fans who
abandoned the band here's your chance to make up for it--buy
this album.
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