"In the old days, when I'd be in recording studios, I'd be trying to be at play, but there'd be time pressures, or I'd be working with an engineer, and I'd have to filter everything through their musical consciousness. But when I'm working on my own in my own studio, I'm at play. It's great... [I collaborated with co-producer Simon Dine] strictly by correspondence. He would send me a zip file of twenty one-minute-long instrumentals, and I'd play them, and maybe two of them would suggest melodies or an idea to me, and I'd turn them into a song. Technology allows us to work like that."
All Souls Hill is a 2022 studio album by British folk rock group The Waterboys, released by Cooking Vinyl. It has received positive reviews from critics.
At AnyDecentMusic?, editors scored this album a 6.5 out of 10, aggregating five reviews.[2] According to the review aggregator Metacritic, All Souls Hill received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 from seven critic scores.[3]
Editors at AllMusic rated this album 3.5 out of 5 stars, with critic Mark Deming writing that "this is fun, thoughtful, expressive music from a man whose inspiration has yet to run dry".[4] In American Songwriter, Hal Horowitz scored All Souls Hill 3 out of 5 stars, praising the lyrics and vocals: "[Mike Scott] has plenty to say and isn't shy about spewing out a constant stream of verses to make his points: all in his distinctive Scottish brogue and with a propulsive attitude leaving subtlety for others".[5] Writing for The Arts Desk, Joe Muggs rated this work 3 out of 5 stars, characterizing it a "mixed success" criticizing the production choices, but praising Mike Scott's songwriting.[6]Classic Rock's Chris Roberts scored this album 4 out of 5 stars, stating that it "feels like a reset, a detour probing new directions, as befits an album written and produced mostly in collaboration with Simon Dine, who recharged Paul Weller's career".[7] In Glide Magazine, Jim Hynes called this "a bit of both sonic worlds" that mixes the band's classic sound with their hip hop and electronic music trio of studio albums released before this.[8] In Hot Press, Lucy O'Toole wrote that this music finds the group "leaping between genres and ideas as if journeying through a fever dream".[9]
"Brother" Paul Brown – keyboards, synthesizer, sound effects, guitar on "The Liar", backing vocals on "All Souls Hill", mixing on "Passing Through" at Ocean Soul Studios, production on "Passing Through"
James Hallawell – piano, organ, Mellotron, guitar, Marxophone, backing vocals, sound effects on "Once Were Brothers", production on "Hollywood Blues" and "Once Were Brothers"
Simon Dine – sound effects; lead guitar on "The Liar"; production on "All Souls Hill", "The Liar", "The Southern Moon", "Blackberry Girl", "In My Dreams", and "Here We Go Again"
Mike Brignardello and Aongus Ralston – bass guitar