Wiser Time were formed nearly nine years ago by singer songwriter Carmen Sclafani, from New Jersey. This is the band’s third album release and what a scorcher! The CD contains nine tracks that all fall broadly within the blues Boogie, country blues genre styled very much on Southern Rock acts.
‘Love and Devotion’ which starts the proceedings is a slide guitar and piano boogie which recounts a love story: “You can talk about a change in the weather/ And you can tell me that our lives would be better/ But I always thought we can rise above”.
This is a great start to the album, which immediately grabs your attention.‘On Our Way’ which follows is a good solid rock tune which is something of a travelogue, recounting pulling into towns and getting trouble, and being dog-tired from the journey.
After this you think that things couldn’t really get better, but the next two tracks up the bar considerably. ‘Take Me Back Home’ is a Southern style country blues scorcher, with an excellent line in lyrics and imagery: - “I could see you were acting a little/ Sweet smile then the tilt of a bottle/ Well, I’m here to climb a mountain/ I can wait ‘til tomorrow/ Stormy woman take me away”. With some excellent support from Gary Oleyer’s fiddle playing, this would easily make a great single.
‘It’s Hard Letting You Go’ is an aching heartfelt song that starts as a sort of country blues ballad, but works through the course of the song into something more anthemic. Once again, the lyrics are spot on: - “So here we are at the end of time/ All I can do is wonder/ This precious love that I feel inside/ Why can’t we be together?"
‘Revolution 09’ is a bluesy strum and drum track all about (you guessed it, social change)exhorting: “Open your mind. I’ve seen lights and now I want action/ You better think twice, before it’s gone/ Stand up if you wanna know, stand up if you wanna let it show”.
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‘Keep It On’ is a laid back blues rock track with some excellent slide guitar work. ‘Whiskey and Wine’ which follows is a story about all the colourful, on occasion, low-life people the singer has met whilst travelling recently, their vices and his: -
“He was livin’ on coffee and cigarettes/ Smoke a pack if you’re inclined/ But give me whiskey and wine”. This is the sort of song that I’d happily crack open a bottle of J.D. to.
‘Working Man’s Blues’ does what the title says, in that it’s a guitar and slide guitar blues based number all about life in general with its hopes and pitfalls: - “I wanna tell you a story,
Well I was far from finding my way/ Went travelling onward/ All just to get through my day/Gonna find my way”.
Finally, the album closer, ‘Seagull’ is an acoustic country blues track, which has elements that are rooted in the 1960’s hippy culture: - “Seagull you fly, cross the horizon. Into the misty morning sun/ Nobody asks you where you are going; nobody knows where you’re from”.
As a whole, this album is the perfect accompaniment to the end of an evening, when you can relax with a bourbon and just take in the great sounds. I’d never heard of Wiser Time before now. I don’t think it’s long before everyone will know them.
Wiser Time on Myspace
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