Alberta, Canada, singer/songwriter Tyson Ray Borsboom is back! We at Divide & Conquer reviewed his previous work Sinner EP.
He’s now released Will, his LP debut. On these ten songs, he explores topics close to him: love, family, friendships--similar to Sinner. The songs started as folk songs; for Will though, he’s expanded his instrumentation from just his acoustic guitar. This new LP features electric guitars, bass, drums, piano, violin and backing vocals. Using this band, he’s able to expand stylistically. “Can’t Go Home” offers a straight ahead country-rock feel, with Brock Boot’s train beat on the snare and Kevin Giron’s twangy guitar solo. Megan Brown’s backing vocals support the chorus; her violin playing incorporates country and Irish idioms. “I Don’t Mind” is similar with Giron’s solo suggesting Duane Allman though he throws a few bends and borrows in to keep our ears listening. Fans of Sinner will find some tracks they like, too: “Never Said Before” and “Not Me” are driven by a plucky acoustic guitar with meditative, sparse instrumentation. “Never Said Before” adds some smooth violin and piano. “Fall” was my favorite of the acoustic tunes. It’s a heartfelt performance with Borsboom pushing the upper register of his baritone voice. Just-right layered strings come in to support and add texture. My favorite track “Run” sounds a little different from the other tracks. Here, Giron’s melodic bass is mixed prominently, and the vocal harmonies are thicker--it reminded me a bit of early-2000s Goo Goo Dolls. There is a shimmering, high-register guitar line throughout, as if played using an e-bow. On the outro, Giron is unshackled, and he unleashes his best guitar solo of the record. Borsboom and the band nailed it here. Will is a worthy follow-up to Sinner. Borsboom’s writing is on point, and he makes good use of the extra dynamics offered by a band. Will is worth a spin.
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