Back Flipping Forward

Album Review

Hailing equally from the classic Bob Dylan and Tom Waits school of singer/songwriters as well as that of modern heroes like John Mayer, Boston based artist Will Dailey betrayed his roots for a time in search of the perfect record deal in Los Angeles before some hard experiences led him back home. Produced by Tom Polce and featuring some of Beantown's top-flight working musicians ensembling effortlessly, Dailey's second album Back Flipping Forward earned him a 2006 Boston Music Award for Best Male Singer/Songwriter. One of the most compelling lyrical moments in "Rise," one of the album's edgier, blues-rock highlights, finds him making a personal confession: "When I grow up/I hope I get the hang of this/I bleed from 6 strings/I let the truth fall from my lips." That sort of honesty rings with wit and wisdom throughout the disc, from the sparse and catchy Mayer-flavored "Boom Boom" through a New Orleans styled jaunt in the "Hollywood Hills," the sweetly romantic "Eliza," and the tongue-in-cheek rolling rocker "Bi-Polar Baby." Dailey effortlessly maneuvers between folk-influenced commercial pop and stark roots rock, and for good measure includes the thoughtful Appalachian styled "Dear Grace," which he generally performs live as an a cappella tune. For all his organic flavors, he lets the listener know that '80s pop is part of his unique mix of influences, closing with a bouncy rock cover of Tears for Fears' infinitely infectious classic "Everybody Wants to Rule the World."