Album Notes

Two New Orleans singer/songwriters Jesse Moore and Chip Wilson have come together to form Wilson & Moore, a vocal duo with acoustic guitar in the classic style of Simon & Garfunkel and the Everly Brothers. Wilson & Moore perform regularly in venues all over New Orleans and the surrounding area, offering their own original material along with Southeast Louisiana and popular classics. Produced by Anders Osborne, Wilson & Moore: Side By Side features beautiful harmonies combined with lush guitar arrangements on this studio version of their dynamic live act. This is their first release for Threadhead Records.

Side By Side

Track 1: “All Of Y’all”, written by Chip Wilson. With a classic New Orleans feel carried by Chip’s guitar, the two voices share the lead vocal and harmonize over the lyric “All Of Y’All are crazy, but the rest of us are, too. All Of Y’All are my favorites of all…” Throughout Side By Side, this message of solidarity is carried through lyrically and spiritually.

Track 2: “Nobody’s Doin’ It Right” shows the influence of African guitar in Chip’s composition, with Jimmy Thibodeaux playing accordion to carry things home to Louisiana.

Track 3: Jesse Moore’s “Slip Away” shows his talent for ear-catching melodies and lyrics. Chip’s guitar part and Anders Osborne’s plucked basslines on the strings of a baby grand, all helped create a singular pop tune with a message: don’t let life slip away from you.

Track 4:Wilson & Moore’s affinity for rootsy blues comes through in Track 4, “Baton Rouge Baby” written by Jesse Moore.

Track 5: an emotional delivery of Jesse’s “Ahnalee” by both singers is enhanced by Anders Osborne’s organ part over Chip’s finger-picked guitar with Jesse on bass.

Track 6: Musicians on the road: there’s a price we have to pay for the opportunity to bring music to you. Jesse’s “The Road Ain’t Easy” is a classic country-rock road tune with evocative vocals over bass and multi acoustic guitar and resophonic guitar tracks.

Track 7: Certainly Simon & Garfunkel are a source of inspiration for any vocal duo, and “The Willow” may be the most S & G-influenced song on Side By Side. A narrative about spiritual mysteries, Chip’s lyrics reference the tree a friend planted in front of his new house in The New Orleans Musician’s Village, next door to Jesse’s house.

Track 8: With more Cajun accordion from Jimmy Thibodeaux, Chip’s “Bayou du Chat Noir” (about Black Cat Bayou, a fictional South Louisiana locale) tells the story of the 70s oil boom and the impact of its crash. This story is all too familiar in contemporary America and Lousiana. The story of two musicians and the demise of their band is stitched together with lyrical homage to Cajun, New Orleans and swamp pop classics.

Track 9: “You’re Killing Me”: a love song with references to obscure female murderers? Over a gentle guitar part, with a lazy mandolin, Jesse and Chip’s voices blend with backing vocal overdubs to create a moment of sweetness with Chip’s composition.

Track 10: Jesse Moore has a highly developed pop sensibility, as evidenced by the catchy sing-along “You’ll Get Through It”. The positive lyrics, full of hope and healing, are perfect for those struggling through modern life, in New Orleans or anywhere. The ever-building arrangement layers multi-tracked voices, mandolin, guitar, terz guitar, banjo, bass and percussion in Anders’ artful production.

Track 11: Side By Side’s only cover tune is a song fragment from a ragtime number from the 1800s, brought to us through Mississippi John Hurt, called “Ma Belle Creole”. Sung in English and French, the sweet homage to a lovely woman is performed in the simplest possible way: two voices and a guitar.