# Singer-Songwriter Spotlight Series, Vol. II: The Musical Genius of Will Stratton - Link: https://indierockcafe.com/2009/11/singer-songwriter-spotlight-series-vol-ii-the-musical-genius-of-will-stratton/ - Published: 2009-11-12T11:54:00-05:00 - Author: Max Hammer If you haven’t heard of the young and brilliant singer and songwriter Will Stratton, here’s your chance. Stratton’s 2007 debut album, What the Night Said, was written and recorded while he was a teenager. Even popular indie artist Sufjan Stevens contributed to the record. Stratton just released his new album, No Wonder, on November 3rd, via the indie label Stunning Models on Display. We are excited to share with you songs from the LP, which we strongly encourage purchasing, not just because it’s magnificent, almost magically splendid, from start to finish, but also to help encourage this prodigy to continue crafting his warm, heart-felt compositions. In fact, NPR called Stratton’s music “disarmingly proficient”; PopMatters declared No Wonder “pretty damn close to a straight-up masterpiece” and the highly respected All Music dubbed the album, “stirring and hyper-personal yet universally beautiful.” Stratton was born in California and grew up in New Jersey where he began composing songs on piano at three years old. Fans of Nick Drake and Mark Kozelek will likely hear why comparisons of Stratton’s music have been made to these prolific songwriters. In fact, Stratton’s favorite album of all-time, he said, is Drake’s classic Pink Moon. If you enjoy Stratton’s breathtakingly beautiful, and deeply personal, music, please [vote for him](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/snacks.php) as Deli Magazine’s Artist of the Month. Last month, Stratton performed a set at New York’s CMJ supported by the blog Pop Tarts Suck Toasted. In addition, he has previously toured with Sam Moss and These United States. Stratton one of the most gifted musical geniuses of our time, and we hope to hear much more from him in the months and years to come. Related Post:  Singer/Songwriter Spotlight: French Teenage Indie Musician Louis Aguilar “Your California Sky” – Will Stratton from No Wonder (2009) “Who Will” – Will Stratton from No Wonder (2009) Earlier this year, Stratton self-released a free EP, Vile Bodies; even more reason why we’ll be following Stratton’s career for a long time to come. [“Vile Bodies”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/05%20Vile%20Bodies.mp3)– Will Stratton from Vile Bodies EP (2009) [“Lying in the Dark”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/02%20Lying%20In%20The%20Dark.mp3)– Will Stratton from Vile Bodies EP (2009) Note: After downloading and unzipping the free MediaFire EP, make sure to add .mp3 extension to the song titles so you can listen to them in your preferred music player. Finally, here are just a couple of the amazing tracks off Stratton’s stunning 2007 debut LP, plus a cover from his mentor, Nick Drake. Special thanks to catbirdseat. org and slowcoustic.com for the following tracks. [“I’d Hate To Leave You”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/willstratton-hatetoleave.mp3)– Will Stratton from What the Night Said (2007) [“Night Will Come”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/night-will-come-demo-version.mp3)( Demo) – Will Stratton from What the Night Said (2007) “Place To Be” (Nick Drake) – Will Stratton from Herohill.com Will Stratton: [Official Website](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/willstratton.com) [Will Stratton: MySpace](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/willstratton) Download a free zip of Stratton’s demos, out-takes and B-sides. Putting the “in” in to Indie. Stop by Indie Rock Cafe for the best bands, MP3s, videos, news, concert listings, festival updates, playlists and more.