Will Leet - Come Back Roses

Will Leet

Come Back Roses
​self-released; 2022

TOP ALBUM

By Matt Jensen

Will Leet is a Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter who has been working hard on his debut full length album entitled Come Back Roses. Leet explains the record was an album seven years in the making. It was recorded across five studios, three states and twenty-five different musicians. Some of the overarching themes are low, growth and renewal.

The album is an eclectic mix of rock, folk, country and baroque pop. Some of the influences Leet mentions are Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson, Death Cab for Cutie and the Beatles. To my ears that makes sense. The songs are easy to appreciate and quite accessible.

The opener is “Wildflower Thief.” It starts off simple enough with minimal instrumentation and blossoms with a variety of sounds. I found the music comforting and it also had quite a lot of memorable melodies. The song rocks out as well with a surge happening and wild drums and distorted guitars taking over.

“The Corner (feat. Chris Burns)” felt like a single to my ears. The song is very catchy and immediately felt accessible. This song has some alternative with a side of the country. It works well and enjoys the celebratory vibe to the song. The chorus is quite good.

“Cloudy Day” is a great song. It’s a little more melancholy with a good amount of atmospheric elements. Leet sounds great here and I thought the vocals mixed very well with the music.”County Fair” felt like the most country inspired song and I would say this song had a bluegrass element. I love banjo and violin and both those instruments sound great here. The xylophone also works in the mix. This song is warm and inviting. The lyrics are quite nostalgic.

“Louisiana Goodbye” is stripped back and revolves around acoustic guitar and vocals while “NYC Cowboy” is a huge sounding song with a bit of arena rock and blues quality. “Magadalene” was one of my favorites. It’s a percussive heavy song but very organic sounding. The groove the song starts with is wonderful. As the song progresses it just gets better and goes in directions I wasn’t expecting.

“Alice (feat. Sammy Rae & the Friends”) is a tip of the hat to bluegrass, ’50s and ’60s rockabilly  and more. It’s a wonderful song and I thought it was another highlight. The chorus is celebratory and sing-along worthy.

We get another sparse performance with “Dearly Darlin’' while “Satan & the Sailor” is an off-kilter bluegrass song. Last up is a piano ballad “Rainbow” which was beautiful and doesn't really sound like much else on the album,

Albums that take this long can often sound scattered and misdirected. Although this album flirts with a lot of genres it sounds cohesive enough that I didn’t get that feeling. The work put into it was evident from the start. There are a lot of good songs and some that felt truly exceptional. Highly recommended.

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