Since William Poyer released the outstanding album Born Lucky back in 2016, fans have been patiently waiting for another collection of songs to consume. He has been busy working on new material. With it, he has released the outstanding singles, “Weight In Gold”, “On Our Way”, and “Sign It From Me”. With each new track, he continues to fine-tune his songwriting talents while evolving his sound. But, a constant has always been his storytelling qualities. Now Poyer has returned with his new EP Forgiven. A release filled with songs “delivered with delicate, honesty and truth. All recorded as the studio of fellow musicians Ferris & Sylvester (who also collaborated on the project).
Poyer has gone with the title track to open up the EP. From its outset, his mesmerising guitar style weaves its magic. It subtly pulls in the listener, ready for his story to begin, “Send another brother down to see if I can know, just what they mean / And find us all against the wishing well until you know just what we’ve seen”. As his previous releases have proven, the depth of his storytelling is something special. Especially with his hooks, they always hit the mark as shown with the lines, “I’ve been forgiven by the law / Now I’m asking it from you / If you want to see me take a second shot, show me to my truth”.
As much as Poyer’s music stands out for its storytelling, the delivery of his words is equally as good. “The Eagle” is the perfect example of this. This captivating quality oozes as he shares each word with so much emotion. It oozes from beginning to end and peaks when the chorus arrives. It’s difficult not to appreciate his vocal talents with the lines, “As the eagle flies / All I see is you / Here we go, a fork in the road, all I see is you”. It is such a wonderful moment within an excellent song.
The opening two tracks highlight different elements of his music, and so does “Lightning”. This song is all about the mood it creates. He switches the tempo with a toe-tapping Americana groove. However, underneath his infectious soundtrack is more of his sublime storytelling. A quality highlighted from its opening lines, “Lightning take a hold of my hand / I’m already going as fast as I can / See me watch through my gracious demise, I want to see just whether we can / I’m already going as fast as I can”.
Personally, Forgiven has two parts to it. First is the opening three tracks that highlights the various elements of Poyer’s songwriting. Then, the final two songs put it all together to create exceptional moments. Not only that, but it shines a spotlight on some of the best songs he has assembled.
Forgiven highlights everything that makes the music of William Poyer such a delight to listen to
As soon as “Vincent’s Song” begins, his guitar sings with its beautiful tone. He begins his tale with, “When I go out far and wide / There’ll be something that I leave behind at home with you / If you can feel it too, we’ll see it through”. The delivery of each word is as delicate as his six-string friend. Together they create a warmth that is a pleasure to hear from beginning to end. A quality that stands out further when he shares the lines “I’m yours” and “I am just a simple man, I hope someday you’ll understand” throughout the song.
Seeing out the Forgiven EP comes “For Yesterday”. Not one song sounds the same throughout this release, and this track continues that trend. Its slow intro subtly builds up before it explodes when its infectious hook arrives. It makes you want to sing along to, “Until you see the same way as I / I couldn’t give much more of me to you / Until you see the same way as I / I couldn’t take much more of you”.
But, Poyer still has more to offer as he lets the electric guitar add some rock to its soundtrack. He then slows things back down to deliver another wave of the chorus. But, his guitar bursts back into action to bring another wave of rock goodness. Again, he slows things down to conclude the song with “A shot rang out for yesterday / I wouldn’t have it any other way / You know I believed in you / Don’t you know that I’ll always believe in you”. It is a great moment to close out an exceptional release by William Poyer.