Critical Q&A: Jonathan Wilson

Jonathan Wilson's Gentle Spirit (out now on Bella Union), was recorded in Laurel Canyon, home of the early '70s singer-songwriter scene that inspired these songs. The album is as rich and rewarding as anything released in 2011, and topped Critical Mob's Critical Albums for the year. But while it has put Wilson on the radar, it's far from his entrée into the music world. Not only did he release another (currently deleted) album before this, he's maintained a sideline as guitarist for everyone from Jackson Browne to Elvis Costello, and in the ‘90s he fronted the alt-rock outfit Muscadine. We cornered Wilson to catch up on a little bit of his prehistory.

CM: What's happened to your first album, 2007's Frankie Ray? It's a lovely record that seems to have disappeared, and everyone is incorrectly referring to Gentle Spirit as your debut album.

JW: Frankie Ray I honestly worked maybe 1200-1500 hours on, it was painful how long that one took to make. I signed a deal through a friend with a label he worked for; he left the label. The release was near, there was nothing, and I mean nothing going on around the record, I don't think we had even one review, the campaign was a bust so I made them stop the release. I knew it would be better to release it in the future, with bonus tracks and goodies. I managed to retrieve the record from their paws. I own it again.

You started out with a rockier sound in the ‘90s with your band Muscadine - how did your music evolve from there to a gentler, more folk-influenced sound?

I've always liked slow, subtle, sublime music, and also enjoy cranked Marshall stacks, still do. Muscadine, if you were to hear the whole catalog, had some very mellow moments as well.

Just as the Laurel Canyon scene of 40 years ago was a "family" of artists, you seem to have surrounded yourself with some kindred spirits, some of whom are on the new album, like Otto Hauser and Andy Cabic of Vetiver, and Chris Robinson and Adam McDougal of the Black Crowes.

There are many friends and wonderful collaborators on the record. We were great friends and had already made records together, so assembling for my record was a mellow, fun time. All of us played together often, so recording together was very natural and stress-free.

You've mentioned being inspired by a lot of relatively esoteric psychedelic and folk artists of the '60s and early '70s. What's been your discovery process for those kinds of artists, and can you mention a few that resonate with you the most?

The discovery process is usually a "turn-on" from a friend, there have been so many of those. I remember the first time I heard Gary Higgins' Red Hash, or Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom, even Roy Harper's Stormcock. These were defining records for many, and these artists resonate with me very deeply, always will. There are hundreds more, maybe thousands, that's the beauty of this journey.