Dwight Twilley

The Best Of Dwight Twilley The Tulsa Years 1999-2016 Vol 1.

Paramour, 2023

8/10

Listen to The Best Of Dwight Twilley The Tulsa Years 1999-2016 Vol 1.

Very tragically this is a posthumous release, as the power-pop legend Dwight Twilley passed away last year. As assembly of tracks from the time Twilley moved back to Tulsa following the Northridge earthquake that decimated his home, these 20 tracks came during a prolific period and are available on vinyl for the first time.

“Could Be Love” opens the listen with thumping drums and plenty of warm melody alongside Twilley’s smooth voice, and “It’s Hard To Be A Rebel” follows with a cozy dreaminess that’s soars with much timeless beauty amid the glowing guitar.

Further along, the gritty “No Place Like Home” uses bouncy bass strategically with a rhythm that could make you head for the dance floor, while “Runaway With You” is a more intimate moment that builds into a bright and dynamic pop-rock masterpiece.

Approaching the end, the hazy “Let It Rain” comes with a stirring presence of strings and emotive singing, and “My Friend Billy” exits with a thick rocker that’s dense, anthemic and illustrates another avenue for Twilley’s timeless vision.

Twilley and his wife, Jan, teamed up as a producing and engineering duo during these years, and it made for 6 new original albums, a cover album, a Beatles’ cover album, and a live CD/DVD. The selections here are excellent, and ideal for the unwavering fan or the first time listener to this rock’n’roll legend.

Travels well with: The Customers- Sweet Fatality; Kevin Bowe- Half Past Never