Wilson crafted the album at his former studio, Canyonstereo, in Laurel Canyon between tours, album producer jobs, recording sessions and jams, a period in which Wilson collaborated with the likes of Elvis Costello, Chris Robinson, Phil Lesh, Erykah Badu, Benmont Tench, Gary Louris, Vetiver, Dawes and many other notable musicians. While the album was started a few years earlier, Wilson chose not to release Gentle Spirit until 2011. As a result, Gentle Spirit traded among Wilson's friends and family on sharpie-labeled CDRs for several years and in the process, built a large underground following that included many notable musicians, including Jackson Browne, Robbie Robertson and Elvis Costello. As journalist Martin Aston notes in his BBCMusic review, "Wilson may be a new name to us but to the cognoscenti of America's alt-roots scene he's a mover and shaker." Not until Wilson was introduced to Simon Raymonde and Bella Union, did he decide to officially release the album. When The Sun asked Wilson why he signed to Bella Union, Wilson answered, "Because they are the greatest label in the world. They're the only label I've ever come across that truly felt like a family." The album's underlying theme has to do with the words of the title track, "Gentle Spirit", about the desensitization caused by daily exposure to mankind's despair. Gentle Spirit discusses taking the time to give humanity a reverence-laden soundtrack of sorts. As Andy Gill of The Independent notes, "This concern, about how to reconcile one's desire for inner peace with our rage at worldly events, runs through the album." Gentle Spirit features all original Wilson compositions, with the exception of his rendition of Gordon Lightfoot's "The Way I Feel".
Acclaim
Gentle Spirit instantly received attention and glowing feature reviews upon release, including praise from the likes of Mojo, Uncut, BBC Music and others. The album received high marks in the 2011 End of Year polls as well, including earning #4 in Mojo, #16 in Uncut, #28 in The Guardian. Uncut leads off its review by introducing Wilson as "the new king of Laurel Canyon". Throughout the course of his review, Uncut's James Mulvey states that, "Gentle Spirit illustrates a more prosaic act of creation, in which fastidious study is transformed into compelling new music." Mojo acknowledges Wilson's craftmanship throughout by saying, "The pursuit of authenticity and eye for detail stretches to Wilson's production techniques" as the album was recorded to analog tape. Kathleen Johnson of Vintage Guitar described the album as a "a hippie-soul drenched 80 minutes of folk-psych-rock goodness". The song "Gentle Spirit" was recorded live during sessions for the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test 40th Anniversary. The song "Desert Raven" was used to close Tycho's 2016 Burning Man set.
