Wayward Sons frontman Toby Jepson is set to release a brand-new mini-album, Look Out! (Vol.1), this November. His first solo release in 11 years, it marks a return for his post-Little Angels group, Toby And The Whole Truth.
Featuring tracks exclusively available on three carefully curated recordings, Jepson introduces listeners to the eclectic nature of the entire endeavour. The first six songs of a 20-song catalogue explore themes associated with mental health struggles, their impact on him over the years, and how he sought to overcome them.
“I’ve called the album collection Look Out! as it seemed to focus on the idea of recovery in a very specific way – Be aware, take care, be warned, but be open and always on the lookout for the truth, the love and the light,” he explained. “It is an interesting phrase it means many things. It is inherently a warning, a shout, a declaration or a written announcement. Secondly you can be the look-out; the one seeking something, taking care to make sure your eyes are open and observant, and thirdly it’s a place, an actual physical structure or possibly an imagined vantage point from where we observe and watch. All of these definitions, I feel, sum up the record – It’s a collection of songs that hope to enlighten, inform and give you information that might help you to see from a different perspective.
From the opening notes of lead track ‘Alone With You’, and ‘Throw It Away’, listeners might think this is a full-bloodied rock record for which the singer-songwriter is well-known for producing. However, Look Out! Is said to showcase Jepson at his most eclectic and experimental, as he dives deep into a cavernous melting pot of influences. From ‘Sweet Smell Of Success’ (“northern soul, southern eyes”) to ‘What Will It Take’, ‘One Track Mind’, and the reflective closing track, ‘The One That Turns Out The Light’ (“no matter how old we both get, I hope we ain’t seen nothing yet”), this may well be Jepson at his inspired and certainly personal on song.
“It’s an album unlike any I have made before,” said Jepson. “The songs are – in part – gentler than before, and have more to say. It’s about as honest as I’m ever going to get, and the approach I’ve taken on each of the songs has been driven by the needs of the song – I’ve let the atmospheres lead me rather than imposing my will. The results are an eclectic bunch of songs that all exist in their own worlds – There’s some familiarity, but there are also some surprises, some of which I wasn’t expecting, but I went with because it couldn’t be any other way.”
Born in Lincoln and raised in Yorkshire, Jepson started his professional career in the rock band Little Angels. The band released three acclaimed albums on Polydor Records; the last one, Jam, became a number-one album in the UK album charts in 1993.
Little Angels enjoyed ten top 40 hit singles in the UK, as well as chart success all over the world, and embarked on extensive touring as a headline act as well as opening for artists such as Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Marillion, Guns N’ Roses, Bryan Adams, and ZZ Top. The band bowed out in style at a sell-out concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1994.
Since 1995, Toby Jepson has toured as a solo artist as well as a singer for hire with bands such as Fastway, Gun, and Dio’s Disciples. His most recent musical adventure has been the rock band Wayward Sons who have released three critically acclaimed records through Frontiers Music.
Aside from being a successful writer/performer, Jepson is a record producer, runs an independent film company, is a screenwriter, and a radio presenter on Planet Rock Radio.
Look Out! (Vol.1) by Toby And The Whole Truth features Jepson (All vocals, guitars, Pro Tools programming and percussion, Dave Kemp (Keyboards, saxophone, and horn arrangements), Matthew Eldridge (rums), Chris Blanden (Bass, cello), Jason Barwick (Lead electric guitars), Sam Wood (Additional guitars), George Hall (Additional Hammond organ, strings and arrangements), Stuart Wilkinson (Trombone), Ian Chalk (Trumpet) and Leon Hunt (Banjo).
Tracks featured are: ‘Introduction’, ‘Alone With You’, ‘Sweet Smell Of Success’, ‘What Will It Take?’, ‘Throw It Away’, ‘One Track Mind’ and ‘The One That Turns Out The Light’. The album set for official release on the 1st of November and can be ordered via Toby Jepson’s official website by clicking here.
