Walt Cronin - Sense The World  (click on image to watch video)

 13 November 2019

Americana veteran Walt Cronin writes songs about his experiences, from his tour of duty in Vietnam to his decades-long run as a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter. Such stories continue to wow Cronin’s audience while winning over new listeners on his fifth album, Sense the World.

Although a band called the Gousters shares top billing, Cronin’s skill as a storyteller takes centerstage. With all due respect to the producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist Martin Beal and various other musicians, their skillful additions gussy up Cronin’s lyrical wit and worldly wisdom.

Cronin’s opening shot of West Coast country-rock, “Way Back Home,” tells a first-person account of the hours on the highway that come in between relatively short gigs at bars across America. Another tale of life on the road, “Vagabonds,” channels the rich storytelling and clever wordplay of Guy Clark. Other examples of Cronin’s introspective songwriting include the title track’s first verse, which sounds like a lament for experiences missed at home, and the orchestral masterpiece “We Go On.”

Although Cronin can best be described as a folk artist, throwbacks to classic country abound throughout the album. Examples include that sick bassline driving Willy Postma duet “All These Things,” the twangy feel of acoustic-driven cut “Once Again” and the unplugged songwriter’s circle vibe of album closer “We Were Young Then.”

In all, such a strong collection of songs poses an intriguing question: how many other talents of this caliber are out there, quietly self-releasing CDs recorded with their equally gifted friends?

Bobby Moore

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