Willy Moon
Here’s Willy Moon
Cherry Tree/Island Records
Producer: Willy Moon & Steve Mackey
Score: 7 out of 10
His songs are short and to the point, with the brevity of punk and the panache of classic rock and pop. You might recognize “Yeah Yeah” as the theme to a recent iPod commercial. But the young New Zealander’s songs are stylistically all over the map. “Shakin’” is about as spare as can be, with Moon’s solo guitar and big voice summoning the spirit of Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran. And then there’s also the Bo Diddley-esque rhythms and “Hand Jive” alliteration of “I Wanna Be Your Man.” Moon even further flaunts his compositional versatility on the slight industrial pop of “My Girl.” He’s an artist who has done his homework and injects something new into some timeless modern music forms.
– Eric A. Harabadian
