Dave Gunning – No More Pennies

 
No More Pennies
Dave Gunning – No
More Pennies
1.) All Along the
Way 3:23 2.) Coal From the Train 4:18 3.) We Can’t Win 3:29
4.) Game Going
On(w-Dave Francey) 3:17
5.) These Hands 4:07
6.) The Family
Name 4:11 7.) Too Soon to Turn Back 3:45
8.) Little White
Seeds(w-Karine Polwart) 4:15
9.) When the Cold Weather Comes 3:22
10.) The Weight
of My Guitar 4:20 11.) That’s When We Fell 3:36
12.) Living in
Alberta 3:23
      Having never heard Dave Gunning
prior to being asked to review this CD, I was shocked when “All Along the Way”
began to play. Maybe shocked is not the correct word to use. Let me tone it
down a little and say surprised, or better yet pleasantly surprised. Writing
for a Country Music publication, I was expecting a deep country Texas, gun
toting, horse riding, big hat wearing cowboy. What I got was a lyrically
intelligent, acoustic, raspy smooth, blue collar, Northern country. The songs
that filled my ears eased me into this winter season of Christmas.
        Before
ever checking out who this master musician was, I assumed it was a man from a
northeastern area who had experienced the lifestyle and the surroundings of
which he played and sang about. “All Along the Way” brings you directly into
this rough yet emotional world. “Coal From the Train” takes you into a small
town that survives by the rails that run through it. The lyrics may not be nice
at times and may even remind you of those down and out times when you have to
scrape enough money to get that bottle from the liquor store just to ease the
pain. Its drumbeat almost makes you hear that train rolling by as you swig it.
        “We
Can’t Win” is a much faster paced song. For the first time on this CD the
guitar has a hard strumming with a much more upbeat sound. It gives you that
ever important advice that if you are not willing to risk anything, if you’re
not even willing to play, you’ll never win. You maybe should even try doubling
down on some long shots, or take a few bigger risks in life. Because, if you don’t
you may regret what you never got.
        “A
Game Going On (with Dave Francey)” keeps up the pace in the album and makes you
really think about the Northeast and how important hockey is to their way of
life. If there isn’t a rink there is always a pond and if nightfall comes then
just turn on the TV because most likely there is a game to be watched.
        The
next three songs on the album are a lot more philosophical. “These Hands”
speaks about the important stands that others have taken and asks the question
that each of us may have asked ourselves at some time. If these people have
done such important things with their hands, what should my hands do? “The
Family Name” compares a strong name with that of a farmer planting and plowing
the fields. He/she should do everything to make future generations proud. “Too
Soon to Turn Back Now” keeps along with that trend. Its lyrics tell the listener
that it’s too soon to look at a particular moment in time. That looking upon
the past should be reserved to later on in life to see if it is some decision
that was regrettable or some fond remembrance.
        “Little
White Seeds (with Karine Polwart)” is an incredibly beautiful duet. The song
adds a Scottish and Irish feel to the album. As the song plays you can almost
hear the bagpipe blowing along with the winds across the highlands.
        “When
the Cold Weather Comes” doesn’t bring that dreary feeling of winter coming, but
rather some excitement that finally it has come. The town comes alive along
with its various pubs. You can envision a banjo playing along with the guitar
while the patrons are dancing around staying warm by sluggin’ the whiskey and
keeping close by the hearth.
        The
album starts to close with “The Weight of My Guitar.” This song is a reminder
to the listener of how many experiences have had to go into this CD. It may
seem okay by the distant listener but the closer you get to each song the more
you realize how much has gone into the album. “That’s When We Fell” is a
journey into the clouds. When the feet had left the ground and the trip to the
stars began. Then there was a second when one, or both, had actually looked
down and they both fell back down to Earth.
The
final song, “Living in Alberta,” is a stark reminder that in life’s journeys we
miss what was left behind, but upon return we also miss what we left in order
to come back.
This is
an album that deserves a listen. It has incredible poetic imagery and great acoustic
melodies to match. Whichever coast you live on or whichever direction you
reside in, I’m sure you’ll find a piece of your own soul. You’ll probably even
find some of your own unforgettable memories burned into it just waiting to
come out.
 Jeremy Frost

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