Rupert Wates

"A delight to listen to. These are songs crafted with care and imbued with sincerity and conviction. 'And The Wave Will Sing' is an obvious highlight, with its driving, looping bass leading to its anthemic calypso-chorus with vigorous acoustic guitars strumming away in accompaniment. ("Coast To Coast") is an album to be savoured, not rushed. Let the magic gently seep in." (Rob Quicke, Britsound Radio) - www.britsound.com/essentials.shtml

'The music (of CD 'Dear Life') is sparse and immediate...straightforward, warm, honest, unpretentious, soft and largely upbeat. Which makes for the biggest surprise, as the lyrical content is pretty dark and weighty...In 'Dear Life' Wates has produced an accessible album with a message, and carries it off nicely' (Chris Nosnibor) - Chris Nosnibor

"Rupert has a lovely voice...Very good songwriting, musically and lyrically" - Atlantis Listening Committee

"Remember the days when Joni, Jackson, James and Neil lived in the canyon? That's exactly what you get with Rupert Wates...Unforgettable melodies are in no short supply throughout Wates' breezy audio travelogue. Yet it's the little elements that make 'Coast' special: the funky fender rhodes and Beach Boys inspired harmonies in
"And The Wave Will Sing", the warm slide licks...in "Goodbye To The Old School". Long may he run"
(Tom Semioli) - Minor 7th Online

‘Memorable songs...from a singer who sings like he means it’ - Rob Adams

‘(He) mines a far richer vein of songwriting than his contemporaries’ - Bruce Crowther

‘An outstanding talent’ - Blair Macdonald

"Wow...an extraordinary guitarist and singer...Rupert Wates is amazingly wonderful. Imagine the Moody Blues unplugged. That's Wates" (T Mannis, RogersParkBench Blogspot) - T Mannis

"Wates shines when he works when he works with his "Postcards From America", spitting out the catchy twangs of folk-country and western flavor. Crooning like a young Warren Zevon, 'Goodbye To The Old School' tells the anguished aftermath of a small-town school shooting. '(The Ballad Of) Killer Weed' is more violent still, spinning an engrossing tale of drug deals gone wrong. The tune is appropriately reminiscent of the Carter family's 'Juke Box Blues'...'A Friend Called Jesus' is a jam-filled highlight,...with jovial guitar and soulful background vocalists. Finally, the bluesy 'I'm The Guy' balances Wates' trained sound with playful lyrics, satirizing the United States government as 'Big Brother' through the frame of a piano-driven love song. Rupert Wates is undoubtedly talented. 'Coast To Coast' proves through its complex storytelling...a classy melodic sensibility" (Michael Merline, 'The Badger Herald') - badgerherald.com

"Rupert Wates has a great, distinctive voice and shows great control in his ability to project the feeling of travelling across America. If you need something to listen to during a road trip you should consider Rupert Wates."
(Marty Bormolini) - The University of The Pacific