From All Music Guide: Recording Info: Long View Farm Studio, North Brookfield, MA; Stratesphere Studios, New York

From All Music Guide: Willy Mason managed to impress a lot of people before his debut album, Where the Humans Eat, came out in 2004. His earnestness, his clear love of American folk music, and his warm melodies won him fans among other artists as well as among the general public. His sophomore album, If the Ocean Gets Rough, shows these same characteristics, but it also shows him at a point where his flaws can't be as easily brushed off, or blamed on his youth. Not that there are many mistakes here: Mason is an impressive songwriter, able to construct mature pieces that have a sense of familiarity but still sound new and unique. "We Can Be Strong" sets itself around a bluesy bass-and-piano romp, but it also incorporates elements of pop in its harmonies and acoustic guitars, with Mason singing about trying to find himself as an adult. It's clearly a topic he's familiar with, and so it comes across as honest and realistic, and makes the track a standout. The same can be said about "When the River Moves On." H...

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