Simon RushworthWillie Dowling — The Simpleton (Conquest Music)
Ironic? Self-deprecating? Disarmingly disingenuous?
The cheeky title of Willie Dowling’s delightful new album is so far from the truth it’s almost out of sight.
This marvellous body of work is the very antithesis of simple.
Dowling’s piano-led masterpiece is an exercise in effortless sophistication and yet it’s a record that’s as accessible as it’s aspirational.
The musicality is sublime.
The narratives are compelling.
And an hour or so spent in the company of The Simpleton does make you wonder why Dowling remains one of rock and roll’s best kept secrets.
Beloved by peers, relied upon by giants of the entertainment industry and most recently adding the keys to the Quireboys’ best album in 30 years, he’s a songwriter and composer par excellence.
And yet Jeff Lynne doppelganger Dowling’s more often mistaken for ELO’s frontman than he is recognised as a generational creative talent.
The brains behind The Simpleton is a complicated character: as happy tending to the crops on his rural French retreat as he is composing classical music based around his Northumbrian upbringing, Dowling’s an enigma.
A jack of all trades and a master of all of them, he could and should have hit the big time with early 90s rockers The Grip.
But then again Dowling’s toured and recorded with everyone from Midge Ure to Sinead O’Connor and Hot Chocolate to Andy Taylor.
His compositions for film and television are the stuff of legend and he’s found time to write a musical performed In London’s West End.
Not bad for The Simpleton.
But sat at his piano, delivering insightful social commentary, is where Dowling’s at his best.
The Simpleton’s pure genius.
Dowling’s keys to success
Echoes of Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Billy Joel and David Bowie pace what’s surely one of the dreamiest drops of 2025.
At times Dowling does a damn good impression of peak Mott The Hoople Ian Hunter.
And elsewhere he flirts with the 70s pomp of revered progsters Yes and Asia.
But through it all The Simpleton’s underpinned by a level of craftsmanship and quality borne out of four decades at the coalface of rock and roll.
The Dowling pool’s as deep as it is refreshing.
Opener Let Us Begin starts as this record means to go on — beguiling melodies and lyrical twists capturing the attention and carrying the day.
The title track’s piano work is some of the best as Dowling brings a Beatles-esque vibe to a glam-lite affair.
The stripped back Sadie Goldman is a shimmering tour de force while The Gravy Train introduces unexpected sweeps of new romanticism.
More Bowie than Bowie? Maybe.
There’s something darkly addictive about I Killed My Imaginary Friend as Dowling strips back even more deeply personal layers.
But the accomplished all-rounder saves the best until last as thought-provoking ballad In The Ocean sets the seal on a terrific 10-track showcase.
When rumours of this long-awaited record first surfaced, Dowling’s fans asked Willie or won’t he?
Well he did. And The Simpleton’s a career-defining triumph.
