UK folk singer/songwriter Luke Whittemore leaves listeners wanting more with his debut release, Northern Town. Across the board, these six originals feature rhythmic nuances, skilled acoustics and mournful lyrics reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen’s atmospheric 1982 Nebraska record, complete with metaphors about rain, wishing wells, oceans, creeks and tears.
On the other hand, “Have Mercy” speaks with dry authority: “There’s trouble in these waters that a young girl just don’t understand/’Cause what these eyes have seen I’ve done my best to hide/There’s a dusty trail of misery where the devil just don’t hide.” In another example of Whittemore’s lyricism, “Cold On The Hills” defines loneliness as four bare walls inside an empty house while outside against the windows a blue northern wind blows frigid gusts.
Elsewhere, the only up-tempo tune, “If It Weren’t For The Rain,” places bright guitar picking alongside a man’s drunken yearnings for a lover: “There’s a picture in the hallway of an old friend she says/And every now and then I catch a glance of her staring right at him…”
More and more fans will no doubt soon discover Whittemore’s rock-solid vintage American sound.
Also please read my review of Luke Whittemore’s CD on Elmore magazine’s website at:
http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2016/09/reviews/albums/luke-whittemore
Donna Marie Miller 
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