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Allow me get the obvious out of the way: I was neither paid, nor compensated to write the following. First, my journalistic integrity would not allow for it and second if I were to be completely forthright, I must sheepishly admit that I would be too intimidated, too shaken to reach out to a man of such grace, poise and discretion for fear of rejection or worse, non-acknowledgement. The emotional welling of my eyes may make the following endeavor difficult to continue but for the sake of the art, I must…walk on.
Reflective. Harrowing. Lived. Along with the velvet-voice of it’s songwriter, those three words may too resonate through your eardrums as you listen to the partially self-titled debut EP of one Elias, “WWE: Walk With Elias.” In a world full of hypocrites and critics, Elias, the professional wrestler, and now dare I say an American poet, is not one of them. He speaks the truths that many may not want to hear, but what today’s world must hear about themselves.
It starts with the opening track, “The Ballad Of Every Town I’ve Ever Been To…”
With shades of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”, Elias names all the major cities and his search for the one locale that doesn’t make him see the despair or the downright ignorance of humanity. I’m assuming he removed all of the flyover cities due to them not being worthy of mention, but the inclusions of New York, Seattle and his hometown of Pittsburgh make these words all the more significant. He wails like Neil Young on a Harvest Moon night as you can feel him withhold every fiber of his statuesque frame from enacting violence on us mentioned deplorables, but in doing so will make you yourself understand that we indeed do need to be “punched in the face.”
The second song “Elias’ Words” is a call to society’s great sense of entitlement. So many of us have a soapbox to stand on via the Internet, via social media and via basic human interaction that it’s about time someone calls everyone out on such transgressions. Elias, one of the few truly entitled to what he’s owed, holds no words back as he dawdles you through one of his daily walks to make you understand how much of the world distracts you from him. His Thorogood-esque storytelling will surely have you puncturing any beach ball in your line of vision and will have you choking on any chants that doesn’t start with “Walk” and end in “Elias” at your next live event. “Boring” be damned.
Elias’ generosity and versatility is on showcase during “Nothing I Can’t Do” as the third title is purely a piece behind the ivories. Yes, this man plays the piano and he does so in a manner that would make Chris Martin openly sob and Billy Joel steam with jealousy. He even makes a bold artistic choice in letting a moment linger so appropriately that it will cause the listener certainly reflect on the performer’s talent and our own shortcomings (as if the previous two tracks weren’t a reminder).
The final title, “Walk With Me” speaks to the uncertainty of life and to the future of the world, but with a bone-chilling timber akin to a 1991 James Hetfield serenading you through “Nothing Else Matters,” Elias makes you feel comfort and ease in his presence. It’s a poignant and beautiful ending to a journey that will motivate you to tie on your best shoes and continue to ramble down that open highway of underachievement while Elias saunters down one that’s paved with gold.
The only wish I had after listening to “Walk With Elias” is that the artist himself would like us as much we do him. Will we ever court his affections? That road is unknown, but let me make it clear to everyone reading that I’m willing to walk down that road, no matter how long and winding it may be. You will too.
Today, “WWE” stands for masterpiece.
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