CD: GARY GALE – Jammin’ With Friends

GARY GALE

Jammin’ With Friends

Easterner – Seashores of Old Mexico – Hello
Mr. Moose I’m Calling You – Paper Rosie – Bold O’Donahue – Old Love
Letters – No Price Tags on the Doors of Newfoundland – My Son Calls
Another Man Daddy – Why Don’t You Love Me – Elizabeth’s Waltz –
Saltwater Joy – Kelly’s Mountain – Will You Love Me When I’m Old – Music
Takes Me Back – Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On – Confederation –
Blackboard Of My Heart – Wildwood Flower
Up in Canada there is this guy who still
believes country music should be ‘country.’  He invited a huge number of
his music making friends to participate in the making of a CD of some
popular country songs in Canada.  This is a project I wish I would have
done as I traveled through life meeting and working with some incredibly
gifted music makers.  BUT, Gary Gale who did manage to do this with his
music friends is also exceptional, he plays the accordion.  Wow, does
he play the accordion.  That’s the way music kind of works.  If there is
an exceptional talent involved in music making, that talent seems to
bring the best out of those participating.  Gary invited a lot of guest
players for this session: Merle Blaine, Bern Blanchard, Luke Cox, Wilf
Doyle Jr., Keith Fitzgerald, Tom Harris, Tim Kennedy, Gerald Lush, Jerry
Lush, Ivan Lythe, Ivan Martin, Larry Nash, Clyde Osmond, Roy Payne, and
Don McCowan.  It’s a very nice ‘traditional’ Canadian touch with lead
and rhythm guitars, bass, drums, pedal steel, and Gary on accordion. 
Highly unlikely you would hear this terrific ‘old-time’ country music
sound in Nashville these days, but here it is from north of the border,
just like it used to be, and extremely well done.  I’m not sure what
part of Canada Gary is from, but his record company is in Toronto, so I
suspect he’s from somewhere near there.  There are some exceptional
songs here, “Why Don’t You Love Me” is super good, as is Gary’s own
“Elizabeth’s Waltz” played so well on the accordion.  With so many
additional artists adding all of their own personal preferences, I’m
very pleased to see the accordion leading the way in how a song will be
recorded.  Even “Wildwood Flower” a typical guitar lead song, does
indeed start that way, but Gary has this magic touch with the accordion,
and even on this old song he makes it ‘new’ again.  What a delight to
hear these delicious songs again, and enjoy the taste of the ‘freedom’
that was so predominate in the older way of writing, playing, and
recording music.  Today, unfortunately, country music is a bought and
paid for product that is done according to money interests rather than
music interests.  Gary Gale stands very strongly against that foolish
situation, and he sure does it well.  I’m definitely forwarding this CD
to the Rural Roots Music Commission to see what they think.

RECORD REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART – President NTCMA – www.ntcma.net
for Country Music News International 

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