William White – Release in UK and Ireland
The unlikely success story of William White continues. When it was released in Switzerland in March, William’s double album “Open Country” entered the Swiss album charts at number 2. This was the highest ever placing achieved in Switzerland by an independent artist without a major distributor.
On 15 August, “Open Country” was released in the UK and Ireland, garnering much praise and earning William a number of prestigious radio appearances.
On 14 August, William was interviewed by the legendary David Rodigan on BBC Radio 2 (13 million listeners regularly tune into this station!). A day later, he was quizzed by the almost equally legendary Robert Elms for Radio London where the album is enjoying regular exposure. After a swift trip on the same day to Manchester, he was also interviewed on BBC Radio Manchester’s Roots reggae show. Last but not least, William also appeared on Radio 1Xtra. John Masouri, finally, wrote a feature about him for Echoes magazine.
William White grew up in a small, music-soaked village on the island of Barbados. Bob Marley & the Wailers, Dolly Parton, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke and the local church congregation all contributed to the soundtrack of village life. Recorded in Portland, Jamaica, and Switzerland, “Open Country” is a sweet slice of soul-tinged, “conscious” old-school reggae. All except the Bob Marley cover “Caution” are William White compositions – Toots & the Maytals provide typically racous guest vocals for the track “Rub a Dub”.
What “Open Country” lacks in fashionable digital dancehall muscle it makes up with melodious charm, mellifluous vocals and exemplary playing. As a bonus, the second CD contains an impressively dynamic live concert recorded in Winterthur.
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