Billy Gilman had a wonderful start to his career but was derailed for a little bit when nature kicked in and changed his voice. Now 18, the 6 year country music veteran is back with an entertaining CD that showcases a strong voice that rivals Gary LeVox and Vince Gill in terms of power and depth.
The Boy With The Voice Grows Up
When Billy Gilman arrived on the country music landscape 6 years ago, he was an innocent, cute 11-year-old boy singing songs that were appropriate for his age. His One Voice" CD and single did quite well and over the course of a year or so, Billy released two more CDs, a timeless holiday album and Dare To Dream. But after that quick flurry of releases, Billy took two years to release his third album, Music Through Heartsongs: Songs Based On The Poems of Mattie J.T. Sepanek. It was evident by this time that Billy's voice was changing. After two more years of complete vocal rest (on doctor's orders), Billy released the awkward Everything And More when he was 15. Still settling into his voice, Billy took almost three more years off until he returned with his sixth release, a self-titled, self-released (through Image Entertainment) effort.Mature Vocals and Mature Themes
For anybody, growing up is one of the toughest stages in life, especially as a teenager when you are not quite a kid and not quite an adult. Being a child star can be even more difficult. However, fortunately for Billy Gilman, he had grounded parents who never removed him from his home base in Rhode Island. Billy never was taken away too long from his school, and due to the voice changes previously mentioned; he got to be a 'regular kid.' For his first 'adult' album, Billy continues to sing about universal themes of love but with a more mature edge to them. Also, this record sounds like it's from the hands of Nashville's biggest labels, not self-released.Leading off the record is "Billy The Kid." The lyrics smartly twist the legendary tale to suit Billy's own career with lyrics that proclaim that he's 'dead' because his voice has changed. "Southern Star" is the lead-off single from the record and it serves as a perfect reminder of how Billy has settled into his adult voice. The melody and lyrics are about sweet, young love and where that euphoria takes you.
"Easy For You" is a top-notch break-up ballad that showcases one of Billy's best vocal jobs that he's ever recorded. Pam Tillis duets with Billy on "Almost Over (Gettin' Over You)" and their voices blend well on the steel guitar and fiddle laden, traditional country styled mid-tempo ballad.
With 12 tracks (all but "I Will" are written by producer Sandy Linzer), Billy Gilman is a well-rounded return for Billy Gilman. While I don't think there's a knock-out hit on Billy Gilman, the record should make Nashville executives stand up and notice that the young man with the golden voice is back with an equally impressive adult voice that many artists would dream to have.