Ray Wilson & Stiltskin "Unfulfillment"

Does the name ring a bell with you, too?  It did with me but why?  I wasn't sure, but I gave it a sample listen and it rocked enough for the purchase.  As the first spin progressed, I kept scratching my head in search of the clapper that was hitting that damn bell in there, but to no avail.  I gave up and went to the computer, and yes, there it was.  Wilson was the poor schlub who was picked to replace Phil Collins' voice in Genesis in the mid-nineties.  Some of you may remember "Calling All Stations", but I doubt any would say it was an impressive release.  Maybe Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks thought he sounded like Peter Gabriel, but I didn't get it.  What it did for me, however, was make me go back to Wilson's band Stiltskin's first album, which we had some success selling in our Music 4 Less location.  There was an ad campaign in Britain that featured a track which became a hit, so when the UK tourists on holiday in Orlando kept asking, I kept ordering.  The record wasn't bad, either, though it sounded too much like Smashing Pimpkins (intentional...never liked them) for me.  Best thing about it was Wilson's voice, a gravelly, husky, brooding style. 

Wilson kept pluggin' along after the Genesis debacle (that's harsh...it actually sold fairly well), mostly as a solo act before reforming Stiltskin a few years ago.  This current album, too, is only available here as an import, but it's pretty darn good.  Here is the first video...

This is mainstream, power-pop, arena rock a la

Bon Jovi/Goo Goo Dolls/Nickleback/Train/Daughtry/Collective Soul/ 3 Doors Down/et al.

Somewhere in the second half of the album, I heard him sound like Iva Davies and latter-day Icehouse recordings.  The video below is an unofficial production of what is one of the best songs on the record, the last track, actually...

That should give you an idea of the strength of "Unfulfillment."  The hooks get under your skin (hey, a pun) quickly, and you'll find yourself singing along with the choruses.  My only suggestion is to listen to just half of it at a sitting.  A full sixty-minute session breeds a sameness that doesn't deserve to detract from this fine recording.