Skyler - Take You Away

Skyler - Take You Away
2011, SkyHi Records

York, Maine singer/songwriter Skyler returns in 2011 with his sophomore EP, Take You Away.  The follow-up to 2010’s Long Gone, which placed in Wildy’s World’s Top-10 albums of 2010, follows a similar path to success.  Skyler’s brand of catchy pop music is ripe with memorable melodies and clever turns of phrase.

Skyler gets things started with melodic alternapop you can't get out of your head.  "Empty Rooms" laments a life on the sidelines in a highly danceable folk/pop arrangement with strong guitar fills.  Skyler has a fine voice that rings clear in the middle.  "Hold On (Pray)" is an easy going number with a solid chorus.  Skyler manages to build the song in intensity and accent with splendid vocal harmonies, while advising listeners to not be complacent but grab life by the horns.  "Take You Away" looks forward at how things might be in a prospective relationship.  The song is built on a strong hook, and is a great listen in spite of getting too repetitive for its own good at the end.  "It Kills Me" is a circular, angst-filled rumination on unrequited love from a distance.  Well written and mildly catchy, the song conveys hope that is compelling in its apparent hopelessness.  Skyler closes with "Sentimental", one side of an argument over emotions and what is, and is not, real.  The energy is great, and the chorus will get stuck and recur in your head.  Skyler manages to sound like an affable cross between the Gin Blossoms and Dog's Eye View. 

Skyler continues to finesse his considerable talent for crafting catchy folk/pop/rock numbers that make listeners want to get on their feet and dance.  Take You Away perhaps steps back a tad from last year's Long Gone, but only in that Skyler is continuing to grow as an artist and expand his sonic territory.  Skyler shows the same energy and zest as in the past, but is also exploring the edges of his sound to see where he might go next.  The result is positive, and promises to bear much fruit down the road.  For now, you could do worse than to let Skyler Take You Away for a little while.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Skyler at www.myspace.com/skylertunes.  Take You Away is available digitally from Amazon.com and iTunes.

Wildy's World Top 60 Albums of 2010: 10-6

We're down to the top 10 albums of the year!  Today we'll get down to #6.  Tomorrow, we'll unveil the top 5, one an hour between 9:00 AM EST and 1:00 PM EST.  Without further adieu...

10. Treasa Levasseur – Low Fidelity
Levasseur is a glorious throwback full of the vitality of youth.  With a voice that could melt butter and a talent for songwriting that's a step above the rest, Low Fidelity is one of the true treats of the year.

9. Lucy Wainwright-Roche – Lucy
Wainwright-Roche shows a subtlety and grace on Lucy that is incomparable.  Her ability to find beauty in mundane moments sets her apart.

8. Skyler – Long Gone
Rock music with a distinctive pop sensibility inspired by pure joy.  Irresistible. 

7. Amy MacDonald – A Curious Thing
MacDonald followed a top-ten, multi-platinum selling album with a more complex and incredibly mature song cycle that will make you forget she's all but 22 years old.

6. Cosmo Jarvis – HumAsYouHitch/SonOfAB!tch
A no holds barred musical assault that's well written, driven and full of the unabashed energy of punk rock.  Jarvis is a tour-de-force.

Stay tuned.  Tomorrow we'll reveal the top 5, hour by hour, starting at 9:00 AM EST.

Skyler - Long Gone

Skyler - Long Gone

2010, SkyHi Records

In a day and age where celebrity seems to be the most desirable goal for many, the world abounds with self-proclaimed prodigies.  Nevertheless you'll occasionally come across a young artist who doesn't need the label.  York, Maine's Skyler is a prime example; as early as third grade kids were clamoring in the playground to hear Skyler play.  By 6th grade he'd mastered multiple instruments and a year later the recording studio in his bedroom reduced Skyler to sleeping on the couch.  Four albums, twenty professional and repertory theatre productions and several hundred gigs later, Skyler has a year at Berklee College of Music under his belt and a loyal following that's admirable.  With the release of his fifth album/EP, Long Gone, Skyler brings together the distinctive pop sensibility that's been drawing crowds since grammar school with a highly refined but non-constricting polish that's rare. 

Long Gone opens with "Hold My Hand", an incredibly catchy pop/rock number in the style of Elvis Costello.  "Hold My Hand" has the sort of melody that lives in your brain for years and continues to surface long after you've forgotten where it came from.  This tune has hit written all over it.  "This Dream (Nashville)" is irresistibly danceable rock n roll about coming home to his baby after time on the road.  Most any musician whose spent time on the road with a love at home has written some form of this song, but few have done it as well as Skyler has here.  "Stephanie" is a song of infatuation that's cute and catchy with serious vocal harmonies.  The acoustic country arrangement is a pleasant listen, but electrify it and polish it up and it's as close to a sure-fire hit as you can get.  "Any Stupid Thing" is a catchy love song, brilliant as in Beatles brilliant.  By the way, it's probably the weakest overall song on the EP.  Long Gone closes with "It's Just The Night", a true rock n roll 'wow' moment.  You'll have a hard time remembering the last time an album or EP was this much pure joy to listen to. 

Skyler practices the KISS principle as a songwriter, keeping the constructions simple with amazing melodies, strong harmonies, dynamic vocals and an ingenious pop sensibility.  In a perfect world Skyler would already own the pop charts.  In the real world, if there is one artist you need to turn your attention to in 2010, it's Skyler.  Long Gone is pure pop/rock that's not snarky, contrived or cynical in any way.  Skyler appears to be making music for the simple joy of it, and that energy is abundantly contagious on Long Gone.  If there is any justice in the world of music, Skyler will be the breakout artist of 2010/2011.  Long Gone is a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc.  Don't miss it.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Skyler at www.facebook.com/skylertunes or www.myspace.com/skylertunes.    Long Gone is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  Digital versions are also available via iTunes.