Toby And The Whole Truth – Look Out (Vol. 2)
Toby And The Whole Truth – Look Out (Vol. 2)
Look Out Music
Release Date: 01/10/2025
Review by Beth Morait
10/10
It hardly seems like two minutes since I reviewed the first album in the “Look Out” series, by former Little Angels/ Gun frontman, and radio DJ Toby Jepson. But it turns out it’s almost a year since that release. Now he’s back with the second installment. And in my humble opinion, it’s even better than the first! And that’s for a couple of specific reasons, which I’ll elaborate on in a moment. If you’d like to bring yourself up to speed with this body of work, then check out my original review here:
Anyway, this new release offers more of the same – a deep exploration of Toby’s personal mental health challenges, and how he’s overcome them. This time it focuses on his experiences seeking the understanding and the truth, alongside the absurdity of being human, and the pain of love. This theme is introduced in the return of the spoken word introduction, where Toby pulls out his best radio DJ voice to speak directly to us, his ‘dear constant companions’, and describe what the album’s about, and the focus of each song. I really like this detail, as it gives us an insight straight from the horse’s mouth as to the inspiration behind his writing.
The album then launches into the raucous Rock number, ‘(Don’t Wanna Be A) Rock N Roll Star’. Solid Classic Rock, with a Beatles-esque passage in the middle that works really well. And this is the style that continues for the beginning part of the album, always with a Classic Rock root, but journeying around sub-genres from the 80s and 90s with ease.
Toby says in the press release that he spent more time perfecting the guitars in this iteration of the collection, and that really does show. That’s my first improvement from Volume 1.
Lyrically, ‘Some People Are Trash’ really shines and resonates with me, especially the line “some people lie through their teeth”. This whole album creates the triangle of anger, acceptance, and forgiveness, both at, and of oneself, as well as others.
Then we reach track 5, ‘Falling In Love Is Harder (Than You Could Ever Prepare Your Heart For)’. This, my friends, is the absolute pinnacle and masterclass in how to write a Rock Ballad about the pain of love, which will appeal to a 40-something year old softy fangirl like me. I can’t stop listening to it. It’s very Bryan Adams (whose posters adorned my teenage walls) and has every trick in the book thrown at it. Gentle muted guitars, snare rim beats for the first verse, sweeping instrumentation, Toby’s sultry tones, and perfect cadences. But don’t be fooled – this is a song about how hard it is to lose someone who you love. It’s a bittersweet song that is simply beautiful, and I’ve played it on loop way too many times already to feel the emotion. Toby himself says that it’s the best song he’s ever written, and I have to agree!
We have a great selection of instruments on offer throughout this album too, including Hammond organ, strings, Sax, Trombone, and Trumpet, which give everything even more of a Classic feel, spanning the decades of music.
The second ballad, ‘Creeping Up Slowly’, closes the album, and it’s full-on Bon Jovi style (yeah I had MANY, many JBJ posters on my wall too – swoon-a-thon), complete with grandiose instrumentation, gravel in Toby’s vocals, and poignant pauses. Ultimate cheese but I bloody love it! I am a sucker for it in fact. I could listen to this literally all the time, and I don’t care who knows. Screw the gatekeepers!
Production wise, it’s everything you’d expect from someone who’s been in the business for over 40 years. Sharp and crisp, with everything placed correctly, and blended perfectly to make the overall listening experience as personal and emotive as possible.
Self-reflection is a vital part of growth, and a tool to help you find your peace. Toby Jepson has mastered the art of putting his self-reflection process into words that resonate with all of us, even if we weren’t thrown in to the forefront of the ‘Rock N Roll’ lifestyle as young adults. I can’t wait for the next installment.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Introduction
02. (Don’t Wanna Be A) Rock ‘N’ Roll Star
03. Some People Are Trash
04. Strong Enough
05. Falling In Love Is Harder (Than You Could Ever Prepare Your Heart For)
06. Nothing To See Here
07. Before I Break
08. Creeping Up Slowly
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Beth Morait and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
