Rupert Wates was born in London, studied at Oxford University but has forged his musical career in the USA. This is eleventh full-length album since relocating to the States in 2006.
Despite performing an average of 120 shows a year across North America and Europe, he has just 162 monthly listeners on Spotify and only 129 on Last.Fm. It’s safe to say he is a long way from making it big.
This is a pity because he is a quality song writer and a fine singer. The twelve short songs here are simple, direct and beautifully played. With shades of Richard Thompson and Bert Jansch, the Englishness of his delivery shines through.
The title is from a line in Wordsworth: ‘The child is father of the man’. All twelve songs were written for, or about, his four-year-old son Gabriel divided into two sections: ‘The Child’ and ‘The Man’.
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They speak of the need for bravery (Courage) and an independent spirit (Nobody’s Man (But Your Own)).
The words from this doting dad are highly personal but are heartfelt enough to give them a universal appeal,
Rupert Wates’ website
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