Duke Special is Peter Wilson. So what’s so special about him, aside from his dreadlocks and bus-stop “hobo-chic”?
Well, Sweet Sweet Kisses is brimming with numerous orchestral instruments which wouldn’t go amiss in a musical. Add to this a powerful voice, sincerely charismatic, but slightly overwhelming in the company of the understated harps, flutes and piano.
This release recalls Rufus Wainwright, The Divine Comedy and the Mull Historical Society, although it lacks some of the subtlety of the former.
While it sits happily as a celebratory ode, the single doesn’t really take the listener anywhere beyond the music halls it harks back to.
Words: Jason Williamson