Following the collection of a beautiful handmade guitar from Brook Guitars in Devon, Mark started practising and then decided to take some time away from work and try writing songs. They came surprisingly quickly and soon he had 20 written in 20 days. John Godsland of Orchid Electronics provided an introduction to the top record producer Mark Tucker (Show of Hands, Ralph McTell, Fairport Convention, Richard Shindell ...and many more) and, very surprisingly, he said he would like to produce a CD. A very steep learning curve, the expertise of Mark Tucker and support from a wonderful "band" of Phil Beer (Show of Hands), Gerry Conway (Fairport Convention. Jacquie McShee's Pentangle and The Dylan Project) , Barney Morse-Brown (Chris Woods band) and Spencer Cozens (John Martyn and Joan Armatrading) resulted in the appropriately-named "Latecomer" album. Eleven songs of love and loss, of family and dreams, of social comment and observation showcase Mark's voice and guitar with carefully crafted and thought-provoking lyrics supported by memorable melodies and accompaniments.
"Beautiful!...utterly universal and enthralling…magnificent tales of love..and loss……beguiling. Latecomer oozes confidence and quality. Mark's voice is soft, clear, smooth and distinctive; his lyrics are evocative of a life's experiences…his fingerpicking guitar is sophisticated..and is blessed with the presence of luminaries from the folk world. …this is a joy of an album." FolkCast
"A collection of striking melodies and charismatic songs..of depth and feeling delivered by a voice that has the substance and richness that only time and experience can engender…hold on to this one, it will become a classic. Exceptional compositions..if other lives and pressures hadn't got in the way, how many classic Waistell albums would be behind him now? No matter, all we do now is stand by as the muse picks up speed and wait for more to follow…buy it and this is one album that you will play again and again." FolkWords
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