Vorn Doolette

Some artists try very hard to be relevant and often fall short. Doolette is the direct opposite with a deep and natural, chocolaty voice that is only complemented further by his personality and a natural wit displayed right up front in song titles like ‘Happy Birthday Jesus’, ‘The Fantastic Four Is Not So Fantastic Anymore’ and ‘Friendship Is My Sword’.
Ben Preece, Time Off Mag, May 2009

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'Vorn Doolette is the folk discovery of the year, with a honey sweet voice to die for'

The Adelaide Magazine, April 2009

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'The first time I heard 'The Rodeo' it cut a swathe straight through my soul. It's the bare bones aesthetic of Vorn Doolette's song that gets to you: nothing but a beautiful, cyclical acoustic guitar and Vorn's honey-dipped voice.'

Dom Alessio,'Home and Hosed' Triple J

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It’s a case of how long before Adelaide-based alternative-folk singer/songwriter Vorn Doolette is considered in the same ilk as Australia’s other premier folk artists... Aside from his velvet-like unwavering earthy tone, his lyrical and musical arrangement shows a strength rarely seen in a performer of his age. It’s easy to see why his debut long-player is so highly anticipated. Orange Dress delicately meanders through the dense scrub on a gentle spring afternoon. It definitely wouldn’t feel out of place in a line with Tom Waits balladry (asides from the obvious differences in vocal textures). Happy Birthday Jesus revisits that uniquely Australian sound of the colonial years. With violin and cello offering support for this wondering waltz, Vorn is at his best, showing that he has a knack for poetic like melody and verse. 9 Songs is a simple delight that will have you singing along in moments. It’s makes you wish you wrote it for you girlfriend...Perhaps this is just the start of something much bigger. In which case, get on board right now!

Chris Wood, The Dwarf, March 2009

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'Doolette's album looks set to carve an important space in the local music scene. Melencholy in its most romantic and beautiful sense, there is a majesty in his music which brings a whole new level of respect to the young performer.It is considered yet free flowing, confident without pretence and comfortable in its own sound...irrespective of its commercial success this album demonstrates application to music rarely found in such a young artist.'

Ryan Winter, DB Magazine, April 2009

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In some moments, his voice feels so weakened by old pains, he might blow away with a gust of wind – and that takes some craft.

No matter how wistful or heavy hearted, the music is written and played with such thought and conviction that one can’t fail to be impressed. And above all, the gifted Doolette proves his chops as a songwriter to watch over and over.

Paul Nassari, The Sunday Mail, April 2009

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'it seems his two-year devotion to the creation of the album has resulted in a splendid anthology of sincerely emotive confessions. Distinctly melancholy in nature, Vorn’s track record with such heartfelt tunes inspires a sense of emotional exploration. '

Kerry Loyson, Rip It Up, April 2009

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'He is hard to compare with other singers. He has a ``stop-and-listen'' quality which is swiftly bringing him a strong fan base. He is different and makes no apologies if his songs are moody.'

Samela Harris, Adelaide Now, March 2009
- various

'He's supported Lior and it's easy to see and hear why that would prove a good fit. I can well imagine whiling away hours, drinking in his personality, stamped distinctively and indelibly on his poetic, if slightly inscrutable work. He falls comfortably into the reinvigorating 'and now for somebody and something completely different' category, in the best possible sense. One to watch, but, moreover, really listen to, which is no effort, given his velvety voice. Lovely guitarist, too!' - Lloyd Bradford, Australian Stage Online

'Supporting Lior on this leg of his jaunt was local eccentric Vorn Doolette. Battling against the sort of apathy unknown supporting artists can usually expect, Doolette made a low key start before emptying his bag of attention seeking tricks on an audience that was slowly but surely won over by his sense of humour and brash observations.

Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, Doolette has a bit of the Arlo Guthries about him, weaving elaborate and amusing stories into a quirky folkie tapestry. A bold and entertaining performer' - FasterLouder.com

A gorgeous tune, catchy lyrics, and I LOVE that deep folky voice!
(9 Songs a Problem) - Triple J

"Vorn Doolette is a young man whose talent is going to take him around the world, his voice and presence are captivating, an absolutely gorgeous voice and a genuine artist, one that isn't afraid of allowing you to see his essence" - Mihirangi, Australian Musician

'Storytelling is an age-old craft, and one in which Vorn Doolette seems pretty well-versed...This troubadour stands at the forefront of a new wave of Australian folk with a mature approach to songwriting [and] a voice to rival the sorrowful crooning of Rufus Wainwright and Bonny "Prince" Billy'

Rolling Stone, Aug 09

also

Vorn's song 'Orange Dress' named in the July issue 'hot list' alongside Eminem and Iggy Pop! - Rolling Stone

Reviewed by Susie Keynes

Posted 18 June 2009

Vorn Doolette’s debut album opens with the most stunning and sensual ‘Orange Dress’. I don’t know too much about this guy, but as I listen, the image is profoundly strong: It’s as if he approaches me from a faded distance, slouched over his battle weary horse, bearing the wounds of someone who has seen far too much. I am wondering ‘Where could this young man have been to reach such deep, dark tones?’ Believe it or not, this track has a swagger that rocks his sorrow and shows, from the get-go, a talent that hits the heart of his audience.

I have met Vorn a couple of times and seen him sing actually only the once – just a few tunes at ‘the local’, but it was enough for me to notice immediately that Vorn carries a strong and haunting presence – a gentle yet terribly self-assured air that seems to belie his years and experience. I don’t mean to sound patronising at all – it’s just that he sings and seems like someone much older and much more worn. This is the battle that I have had in describing his music – the push and pull of how glorious he sounds and how sweetly he writes against a nagging niggle wondering if it can really be so: A juxtaposition – if you will.

Vorn has certainly crafted his image. He comes across as a delightful relic of yesteryear –hat-on-head, just the right tilt, 1940’sesque. His album cover portrays the double-breasted traveller.. a sepia-set troubadour and his album launch carried on the idea, being themed on the roaring 40’s. The imagery certainly works and practically frames his art. Nice set-up, because once we open the CD and play the album we are taken on a journey of tale-telling minuets – life as seen by Vorn Doolette; heart-broken, humorous, wry, odd and then downright tragic – a little bit of everything sprung forth from his guitar so easily and simply I again am left a little stunned.

He’s a clever songwriter and I don’t think he really has to try because his chosen images feel unedited and spontaneous. He follows crazy ideas at times – Under the Waves describes an ‘Octopuses Garden’ full of strange underwater creatures that he encounters as he wrestles with his grief. He writes about oddities or rather strangers to songwriting subject matter – The Rodeo for example – so light it trotts along but points out how evil and cruel rodeos are. And then come the stunners – the songs that are so heavy with emotion they drip and my heart too drags. Orange Dress and The Hidden Track are these standouts for me.

Vorn the musician shows that he and his guitar are a team. He writes songs that put his dark and velvety voice front and centre and that is exactly where it should be. His guitaring is uncluttered and perfect in its simplicity. That in itself takes skill – be it a heavy, lazy strum or a light and breezy pick. Nice. The accompanying musical arrangements felt superbly appropriate with the inclusion of strings and a tonking piano again reinforcing the aged approach to Vorn’s music. And then of course there’s the voice, echoing the tones of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison: Rich and easy. And this is a new voice, it’s a young voice and it makes me excited to think that there is so much yet to come.

If I was to suggest anything it would be that perhaps the 60 minutes of tunes was just a bit long and I found my ear beginning the trail off by the last 2 songs. Like putting together the perfect set in a live setting it can be a tricky thing to get the flow of an album just right and perhaps I just felt I had completed the journey a couple of songs earlier. But that’s me and some may find it quite easy to stay onboard to the end.

There are artists that feel that to survive the music business they need to catch or anticipate the next wave and the art that results eventually shows the signs of being premeditated or driven by the need to succeed… and then there are those that write because they have to. It’s not an option not to. I have decided that Vorn is in-fact one of this kind and that he is showing us something that has a purity that is almost unbelievable. He is truly a deep deep well and I really look forward to seeing how he grows.

Imagine - what more? - as he gets road weary, time rolls and he collects scars and wrinkles. He aint no new-born baby but I cant help but think that we are just seeing the tip of an undiscovered gem. Like the line in his impeccable hidden track – ‘Old, like the willows in Spring?’ I for one look forward to that time. Keep it coming, Vorn. - Music SA