Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

The first thing that caught my attention is the writing. It is outstanding. I listen to a lot of recordings that contain good writing, but this stands above most of them. The lyrics on all the tracks make me say wow, I am astounded that someone wrote this in such a creative and unique way. That doesn’t happen too often to me, but it happened multiple times when listening to 5 A.M. Fog. This 31 year old writes in a way far beyond his years. He must be packing at least 50 years of experience in that 31 year old frame. Whatever the formula is, it works. Coot Wilson wondered if his writing was too esoteric or high brow. I say not at all. It is just intelligent and awe inspiring. My only complaint is the length. Four songs is not nearly enough. That is just a mere tease. I guess the short length gives us something more to look forward to.

Now to the music. The singing and instrumentation are great. They compliment the writing perfectly. There is plenty of grit on 5 A.M. Fog which matches the stories perfectly. They are unpolished rhapsodies that tell sad stories but are delivered beautifully. Idols starts off with a melancholy blues riff and the lines “I died today and nobody cried, I guess I’m used to that by now.” That’s pretty sad indeed. But the mood does pick up and really materializes into a lovely song. The next song, Gambler is about dreaming and it draws parallel to falling in love. Another song on the somewhat sad side, but delivered and written so well that it is hard not to listen to this multiple times.

Don’t Worry is a more upbeat number that sings to a person trying to provide comfort. It is unclear if Wilson is singing to a love or to a friend, but the advice is don’t worry about tomorrow, don’t worry about today. Sage advice from Mr. Wilson. Again the delivery is flawless and backed by powerful writing. The last track, 5 A.M. Fog, is probably my favorite track on the EP. The guitar and singing are sonically pleasing. Again, written by someone who is wise beyond his years. Two thumbs up for 5 A.M. Fog. Mr. Wilson, please give us more. Until then, you can listen to it here and buy it on Itunes here.