Stephen Wilson Jr. & 'Year to Be Young 1994': Everything Fans Need to Know
By James H. Sterling
Nashville has spent a decade flirting with rock influences, but most mainstream attempts simply place aggressive electric guitar fills over programmed pop beats. Wilson does the exact opposite. He builds his songs from the rhythm section up, taking cues from Soundgarden, Nirvana, and The Smashing Pumpkins.
He frequently tunes his acoustic guitars down to Drop D, slapping the body of the guitar to create low-end thump while his touring band supplies heavy, cymbal-crashing percussion. It is a live-wire approach that challenges Music Row's obsession with pristine vocal pitch correction. Wilson sings with a gravelly, cracked tenor that frays around the edges when he pushes for top notes. That friction gives "Year to Be Young (1994)" its teeth, establishing Wilson as a leader of an emerging country-rock revival that prizes imperfection over mechanical perfection.
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
