Brian Wiltsey

If you're ready for a CD that you can listen to from start to finish, without skipping a single track, then you should definitely pick up a copy of Brian Wilstey's new CD, "Mind's Made Up." The Atlanta, GA, singer/songwriter's new CD is 11 tracks of great music. Not only does it showcase Wiltsey's great vocal range & superior songwriting, but he has chosen first class musicians to back him up on the album, most notably, Atlanta's Clay Cook

The CD opens up with two uptempo songs, first, "Meet Me In The Lobby", then a great bluesy song, "Outta My Head." From there, it goes to my personal favorite song on the album, a powerful song called, "If I Lied." It demonstrates Wilstey's songwriting that I spoke of previously, with the line, "every night I try to fall asleep, I think of promises I couldn't keep, questions arise, would you have stayed if I lied?" The rest of the album is more great vocals & guitar by Wiltsey, especially track 4, "Come My Way," & track 5, "Sugar Coated Love Song." My second favorite track, is track 7, "Close Your Eyes." It is a great ballad-style song, with the lyrics, "have you ever wondered what it'd be like, if we could see through eachothers dreams?" Towards the end of the album, Brian shows off more great writing with the song, "Goodbye."

All writing was done by Brian Wiltsey on the album, & it was produced by Wiltsey, Clay Cook, & Bret Hartley. Backing musicians/vocalists on the album include Clay Cook (various instruments), Bret Hartley (guitar/vocals), Shawn Malone(percussion), Gareth Asher (vocals), Bobby Yang (strings), Cheney Brannon (vocals), Anitra Holley (vocals), & Gerry Hansen (tambourine).

If you're ever in the Southeastern US, you should definitely try to check out a Brian Wiltsey show, either way, head to Brian's official site or AwareStore & pick up your copy of "Mind's Made Up" today ! Head to Brian Wiltsey's website for bio information, tour dates, pics, & more.


Kenny Monez : www.justanothersong.com
- http://www.justanothersong.com

If you're ready for a CD that you can listen to from start to finish, without skipping a single track, then you should definitely pick up a copy of Brian Wilstey's new CD, "Mind's Made Up." The Atlanta, GA, singer/songwriter's new CD is 11 tracks of great music. Not only does it showcase Wiltsey's great vocal range & superior songwriting, but he has chosen first class musicians to back him up on the album, most notably, Atlanta's Clay Cook

The CD opens up with two uptempo songs, first, "Meet Me In The Lobby", then a great bluesy song, "Outta My Head." From there, it goes to my personal favorite song on the album, a powerful song called, "If I Lied." It demonstrates Wilstey's songwriting that I spoke of previously, with the line, "every night I try to fall asleep, I think of promises I couldn't keep, questions arise, would you have stayed if I lied?" The rest of the album is more great vocals & guitar by Wiltsey, especially track 4, "Come My Way," & track 5, "Sugar Coated Love Song." My second favorite track, is track 7, "Close Your Eyes." It is a great ballad-style song, with the lyrics, "have you ever wondered what it'd be like, if we could see through eachothers dreams?" Towards the end of the album, Brian shows off more great writing with the song, "Goodbye."

All writing was done by Brian Wiltsey on the album, & it was produced by Wiltsey, Clay Cook, & Bret Hartley. Backing musicians/vocalists on the album include Clay Cook (various instruments), Bret Hartley (guitar/vocals), Shawn Malone(percussion), Gareth Asher (vocals), Bobby Yang (strings), Cheney Brannon (vocals), Anitra Holley (vocals), & Gerry Hansen (tambourine).

If you're ever in the Southeastern US, you should definitely try to check out a Brian Wiltsey show, either way, head to Brian's official site or AwareStore & pick up your copy of "Mind's Made Up" today ! Head to Brian Wiltsey's website for bio information, tour dates, pics, & more.


Kenny Monez : www.justanothersong.com
- http://www.justanothersong.com

Singer-songwriter Brian Wiltsey may be from up North, but his path to musical success led him down South

AUGUSTA, GA - “Music has always been a big part of my life,” singer-songwriter Brian Wiltsey said. Growing up in South New Jersey, right between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, he discovered his talent early.“I learned how to sing when I was real young. I grew up doing the church choirs and school choirs and all that stuff… so singing has been something I just picked up pretty early on and I’ve always felt like I had a pretty good voice for it.”

When he was about 13 he started taking guitar lessons, but decided a short time later that lessons weren’t for him. A couple of years later, when he started getting more into music, he picked it up again and started teaching himself, and found that it came naturally this time around.“I’ve been playing ever since,” he said.
Wiltsey got serious about music while attending Elon College, right outside of Greensboro, N.C., where he delved into the music scene and began putting bands together. It was there the Montgomery Burns Band (MBB) formed.“For being in the ’90s college scene, we were pretty successful, went on a lot of cool tours with a lot of popular bands.”That included acts such as Edwin McCain, Athenaeum and Cravin’ Melon.After MBB broke up in 2001, friends of Wiltsey talked about moving to Atlanta and he decided to join them.

“I wanted to stay in the South and I knew music was something I wanted to do, so I wanted to pick the next-best city for music and Atlanta was the one.”Wiltsey, who had three independent CDs under his belt before releasing his latest, “Lucky Ones” in February of this year, cites the Beatles, and more “emotional” singer-songwriters such as Jeff Buckley and Lenny Kravitz as influences.But he doesn’t fit the mold of your typical singer-songwriter.“I don’t really have that kind of rootsy thing a lot of the singer-songwriters have around here, I think I tend to go toward the Beatles melodic kind of thing, I tend to have more of a poppier sound. It’s hard to explain. It’s not like an upbeat thing. It’s more of a real melancholy kind of thing. I tend to write catchier choruses and melodies,” he said.

“Singer-songwriters down here, you always think of Ray LaMontagne and Amos Lee … and I kind of go in the direction of Elliott Smith and Rufus Wainwright.”“Lucky Ones” was co-produced with former bandmate Clay Cook, who has played with John Mayer, Sugarland and Shawn Mullins, and is currently on the road with the Zac Brown Band. With his previous efforts, Wiltsey let his band have their own input, but this time he called the shots.

“I just went in by myself with total control, told Clay what I was going for and basically Clay and I created it together. It’s geared more toward acoustic guitars and pianos. I think it’s more of a laid-back, prettier-sounding album than what I’ve put out in the past,” he said. “I kind of went in with the mentality that I don’t care if people like it or don’t like it or want to buy it, it’s something I needed to do for myself.”While Wiltsey does play with a full band, his Augusta show will be just him and his guitar. You can expect to hear his original music, but he will throw in some covers as well.

“I kind of play a lot of stuff that you don’t normally hear your typical cover bands play,” he said. “I have a list of over 300 songs that I can play, so I can please a wide variety if I need to.”

As for the future, he’ll keep on doing what he loves, making music.“I put a new CD out and I try to work the next six months trying to get that out to listeners and then I start writing new tunes and about a year later I’m ready to put a new CD out and start over again.”

All four of Wiltsey’s CDs are available at iTunes and CD Baby. - Alice Wynn

Five years ago this writer was confident Brian Wiltsey would rise from the Atlanta music scene and vault himself a major record deal. Five years have passed and unfortunately that has not happened. Whether it’s case of the depleting expenses of record labels or just a lack of focus, Wiltsey, a singer/songwriter in Atlanta has gone unnoticed for years, and it’s about time, us music fans do something about this.

His fifth and most recent effort Lucky Ones, is easily his best, as it blends minimalism (mostly guitars and piano) with first-rate musicianship. Check out the David Mead-esque “Tonight,” or the falsetto croon of “Another Day.” If you want solid songwriting, check out the caustic kiss-off of the title track or the Lennon eulogy, “The Killer.” For something different, Wiltsey dives into the 80s songbook and offers a truly original version of Tears for Fears’ “Head Over Heels.”

The album’s true gem though is the soaring anthem “Drown,” an epic song that packs it all in, and leaves nothing left on the table. Its probably Wiltsey’s best vocal performance to date with one of his most memorable melodies to boot. On the quieter numbers, such as the flawless, “What We Keep Inside,” and the inspirational, “Won’t Fall Down,” he probes the depths of romance, and picks apart the nuances while still managing to stand firm and confident. Few broken-hearted folks have ever found their footing this comfortably, but that’s the magic of Atlanta’s best-kept secret. He’s always comfortable and always confident, and never disappoints, even when his heart is on the line.

Expertly co-produced by Marshall Tucker and former John Mayer-collaborator Clay Cook, the album shimmers and glows in all the right places. Wiltsey, whose worn his hat as a Kravitz-like rocker on previous studio efforts goes for something far more mellow and cerebral and the results are nothing short of spectacular. There have been glimpses of greatness on his prior albums, but not nearly as many as on this one. No, there aren’t any should-be singles or Billboard hits here, but there is earnest, engaging, heart-on-the-sleeve performances, and when its done as well as this, it goes without saying that it deserves a bigger audience.

Held back by financial constraints, Wiltsey has spent the better part of the last four years playing coffeehouse gigs and performing covers to the Atlanta music scene. Though he’s shared the stage with some of the city and region’s biggest names, the spotlight always seems just outside his grasp. Lucky Ones though, will change that. An always consistent songwriter, Wiltsey has never been better than on this effort. If this is your first introduction to his music, then this is the perfect place to start. Armed with vast vocal range and an uncanny knack for writing solid hooks, this is an aurally-pleasing delight. If the record industry doesn’t pay attention now, then clearly they’re far worse off than we ever imagined.
- Greg Robson

Five years ago this writer was confident Brian Wiltsey would rise from the Atlanta music scene and vault himself a major record deal. Five years have passed and unfortunately that has not happened. Whether it’s case of the depleting expenses of record labels or just a lack of focus, Wiltsey, a singer/songwriter in Atlanta has gone unnoticed for years, and it’s about time, us music fans do something about this.

His fifth and most recent effort Lucky Ones, is easily his best, as it blends minimalism (mostly guitars and piano) with first-rate musicianship. Check out the David Mead-esque “Tonight,” or the falsetto croon of “Another Day.” If you want solid songwriting, check out the caustic kiss-off of the title track or the Lennon eulogy, “The Killer.” For something different, Wiltsey dives into the 80s songbook and offers a truly original version of Tears for Fears’ “Head Over Heels.”

The album’s true gem though is the soaring anthem “Drown,” an epic song that packs it all in, and leaves nothing left on the table. Its probably Wiltsey’s best vocal performance to date with one of his most memorable melodies to boot. On the quieter numbers, such as the flawless, “What We Keep Inside,” and the inspirational, “Won’t Fall Down,” he probes the depths of romance, and picks apart the nuances while still managing to stand firm and confident. Few broken-hearted folks have ever found their footing this comfortably, but that’s the magic of Atlanta’s best-kept secret. He’s always comfortable and always confident, and never disappoints, even when his heart is on the line.

Expertly co-produced by Marshall Tucker and former John Mayer-collaborator Clay Cook, the album shimmers and glows in all the right places. Wiltsey, whose worn his hat as a Kravitz-like rocker on previous studio efforts goes for something far more mellow and cerebral and the results are nothing short of spectacular. There have been glimpses of greatness on his prior albums, but not nearly as many as on this one. No, there aren’t any should-be singles or Billboard hits here, but there is earnest, engaging, heart-on-the-sleeve performances, and when its done as well as this, it goes without saying that it deserves a bigger audience.

Held back by financial constraints, Wiltsey has spent the better part of the last four years playing coffeehouse gigs and performing covers to the Atlanta music scene. Though he’s shared the stage with some of the city and region’s biggest names, the spotlight always seems just outside his grasp. Lucky Ones though, will change that. An always consistent songwriter, Wiltsey has never been better than on this effort. If this is your first introduction to his music, then this is the perfect place to start. Armed with vast vocal range and an uncanny knack for writing solid hooks, this is an aurally-pleasing delight. If the record industry doesn’t pay attention now, then clearly they’re far worse off than we ever imagined.
- Greg Robson

“Lucky Ones” is Brian’s fourth album, and is a world of difference from his previous three. “On past albums I’ve tried to write those Top 40 hits, and tried to stick with the pop/rock vein, tried to write catchy choruses and go for that radio hit thing. On this CD I kind of strayed away from all that. There’s no real “radio single” kind of songs on this album; not as many catchy choruses… but it was something I had to make.” It is a rather sad album, but full of emotion and feelings you know are coming straight from the soul. But rejoice, music fans, because this album is perfect for anytime listening and will move your heart with its vitality and thought-provoking lyrics.


The acoustic guitar introduces the first song on the album, “Lucky Ones,” and the beat is slow and catchy. I felt the Tom Petty influence here. Brian’s smooth voice sings about working with what you’ve been dealt but wanting to become like the lucky ones who seem to get everything so easily. I particularly enjoyed the small piano solo mid-way through that I felt was the simple essence of the song. His backing by the piano and drums creates a song with depth and a toe tapping melody that you will find yourself replaying again and again.


“Another Day” begins with an intro letting you know it’s going to be sad. “If I could get some sleep tonight, it would be the first time in three days; my eyes are not as heavy as my heart. This battle in my head keeps me awake.” It is, very simply, an “it’s really over, isn’t it?” song. It really hits home for the war-torn hearts that know exactly what he is singing about. A classic guitar, joined eventually by keys and harmonica, helps to keep the pain behind the song at the forefront.


The introduction to “Drown” is a little faster and a little more upbeat than its predecessor “Another Day.” Brian’s voice is still slow and sad, singing soulful lyrics about missing someone: “I don’t want to drown myself in sorrow, it’s been dark since you went away; I want to forget about this tomorrow, but it’s not the same, no it’s not the same. You’re not here, no you’re not here with me…” This song contains unique instances in which Brian’s voice echoes and creates an all-over effect for the listener.


Slow and deep begins “Won’t Fall Down,” a self-reflective song with elements of hope laced into the key strokes on the piano. The volume level of Brian’s voice changes throughout this song, creating some serious emotion and enabling the listener to easily imagine the feelings crossing his face as he sings. “I won’t fall down, I’ll make sure that my feet touch the ground.” There are dramatic touches and creative melodic changes, especially towards the middle and end of this song, making it a really great listen.


Accompanied only by the guitar, soft vocals introduce “What We Keep Inside.” This song talks about the importance not of what is being said, but what is kept guarded behind lies, maybe for the sake of someone’s feelings. Simple and courageous, it is a song to which everyone can relate.

I found the intro to “Tonight” to be very memorable; I skipped through others to first find that guitar slowly strumming into thoughtful lyrics: “This might sound a little crazy… I may seem out of line. But I think my luck’s beginning to heal the scars. You’re a ghostly work of art.” Brian sings sweetly about the heart and its ups and downs, and also about the lasting effects of love.

“I’ll wake up from this dream to see you lying next to me; I’ve been wishing that for days.” Like “Another Day,” “When I’m Gone” is heart-wrenching and can only be sung by someone who has truly been through the pain. Brian really pours his heart out, kept company by a single guitar. Powerful songs like this are how music was meant to be.

A familiar melodic chorus of “Ooh’s” known to any “80s babies” and beyond begins Brian Wiltsey’s cover of Tears for Fears’ “Head Over Heels.” I happily sang along and enjoyed the simplified version Brian created of this classic, backed only by “ahhing” vocals, keys, and the guitar. I “nah nah nah nah nahed” my way to the end and into the next song.


“Love Is” began with a guitar/piano combo entrance that reminded me slightly of Coldplay. Everyone has their own personal feelings of what love is… according to Brian, it is simply “what you make it.” I felt that the song was empowering and hopeful.


Ending the album is “The Killer,” another song in which I felt the Tom Petty influence Brian said he involved in this CD. He uses part of the preceding song, “Love Is,” which I thought was an interesting twist; I have never seen it done on an album before. It ends with a lyrics to keep you thinking: “Any way you look at it, love is real… sometimes too real.”
- Megan Morian

“Lucky Ones” is Brian’s fourth album, and is a world of difference from his previous three. “On past albums I’ve tried to write those Top 40 hits, and tried to stick with the pop/rock vein, tried to write catchy choruses and go for that radio hit thing. On this CD I kind of strayed away from all that. There’s no real “radio single” kind of songs on this album; not as many catchy choruses… but it was something I had to make.” It is a rather sad album, but full of emotion and feelings you know are coming straight from the soul. But rejoice, music fans, because this album is perfect for anytime listening and will move your heart with its vitality and thought-provoking lyrics.


The acoustic guitar introduces the first song on the album, “Lucky Ones,” and the beat is slow and catchy. I felt the Tom Petty influence here. Brian’s smooth voice sings about working with what you’ve been dealt but wanting to become like the lucky ones who seem to get everything so easily. I particularly enjoyed the small piano solo mid-way through that I felt was the simple essence of the song. His backing by the piano and drums creates a song with depth and a toe tapping melody that you will find yourself replaying again and again.


“Another Day” begins with an intro letting you know it’s going to be sad. “If I could get some sleep tonight, it would be the first time in three days; my eyes are not as heavy as my heart. This battle in my head keeps me awake.” It is, very simply, an “it’s really over, isn’t it?” song. It really hits home for the war-torn hearts that know exactly what he is singing about. A classic guitar, joined eventually by keys and harmonica, helps to keep the pain behind the song at the forefront.


The introduction to “Drown” is a little faster and a little more upbeat than its predecessor “Another Day.” Brian’s voice is still slow and sad, singing soulful lyrics about missing someone: “I don’t want to drown myself in sorrow, it’s been dark since you went away; I want to forget about this tomorrow, but it’s not the same, no it’s not the same. You’re not here, no you’re not here with me…” This song contains unique instances in which Brian’s voice echoes and creates an all-over effect for the listener.


Slow and deep begins “Won’t Fall Down,” a self-reflective song with elements of hope laced into the key strokes on the piano. The volume level of Brian’s voice changes throughout this song, creating some serious emotion and enabling the listener to easily imagine the feelings crossing his face as he sings. “I won’t fall down, I’ll make sure that my feet touch the ground.” There are dramatic touches and creative melodic changes, especially towards the middle and end of this song, making it a really great listen.


Accompanied only by the guitar, soft vocals introduce “What We Keep Inside.” This song talks about the importance not of what is being said, but what is kept guarded behind lies, maybe for the sake of someone’s feelings. Simple and courageous, it is a song to which everyone can relate.

I found the intro to “Tonight” to be very memorable; I skipped through others to first find that guitar slowly strumming into thoughtful lyrics: “This might sound a little crazy… I may seem out of line. But I think my luck’s beginning to heal the scars. You’re a ghostly work of art.” Brian sings sweetly about the heart and its ups and downs, and also about the lasting effects of love.

“I’ll wake up from this dream to see you lying next to me; I’ve been wishing that for days.” Like “Another Day,” “When I’m Gone” is heart-wrenching and can only be sung by someone who has truly been through the pain. Brian really pours his heart out, kept company by a single guitar. Powerful songs like this are how music was meant to be.

A familiar melodic chorus of “Ooh’s” known to any “80s babies” and beyond begins Brian Wiltsey’s cover of Tears for Fears’ “Head Over Heels.” I happily sang along and enjoyed the simplified version Brian created of this classic, backed only by “ahhing” vocals, keys, and the guitar. I “nah nah nah nah nahed” my way to the end and into the next song.


“Love Is” began with a guitar/piano combo entrance that reminded me slightly of Coldplay. Everyone has their own personal feelings of what love is… according to Brian, it is simply “what you make it.” I felt that the song was empowering and hopeful.


Ending the album is “The Killer,” another song in which I felt the Tom Petty influence Brian said he involved in this CD. He uses part of the preceding song, “Love Is,” which I thought was an interesting twist; I have never seen it done on an album before. It ends with a lyrics to keep you thinking: “Any way you look at it, love is real… sometimes too real.”
- Megan Morian