A BluesWax Reprint (excerpt)This review originally ran in BluesWax on April 5, 2007
Terry Gillespie & the Granary BandBrother of the Blues
BluesWax Rating: 9 out of 10
Raise Some Hairs
Today their music is a sweet tiramisu consisting of liquor-soaked layers of Blues, Reggae, Country, and Jazz. This follow up album consists of eleven songs, ten written by Gillespie. Each of the well-crafted tunes contains a hook, sometimes lyrical, while other times a riff, arrangement, or sentimentality. The band includes Terry Gillespie (guitar, vocals, trumpet), Stepehen Barry (bass), Gordon Adamson (drums, percussion), Peter Measroch (piano, organ), Jody Golick (saxophones), and Martin Boodman (harmonicas).
Opening with "Brother of The Blues," Gillespie writes and sounds like Greg Brown. The surprise here is a funky little beat that powers the song. The careful choice of words and phrasing makes it stick in your head. On "Yellow Moon" the surprise is the Ska sounding horns that join in on the second verse. Jody Golick's saxophone is infectious. "Big Boy" is a Rockabilly treat, "when I grow up I want to have a big band," once again it's the big band-styled horns that pick it up in the middle.
Terry Gillespie's soft trumpet on "Carl Nicholson" begins a Jimmy Cliff-influenced Reggae tribute to Gillespie's musical influences, including Carl Nicholson, Steve Valentine, and Van Morrison. Terry Gillespie sounds like Van Morrison when he sings on "Love Again" and Peter Measroch's piano is perfect. "Cold Ground" is a Hoyt Axton-sounding Country Blues with nice harp playing by Martin Boodman.
"Those Days Are Gone" rollicks and Terry sounds like Bob Dylan. "Change My Style" is the only song on the album not written by Gillespie and he credits it as being "traditional." "Rue Guy Boogie" is the best Blues on the album and once again Jody Golick on saxophone solos nicely. "Bathtub" probably started as a kid's song, but it is so much fun as it Reggaes out, horns and all. "Krushev" at first seems dated, but after several listens one imagines it is also a children's song that has somehow grown up.
Sue Foley plays lead guitar and credits Terry Gillespie as a major influence in her career. Terry Gillespie & The Granary Band possess a magic that seems to occur right in the middle of each song. It's what causes the hairs to rise on the back of your neck.
Richard Ludmerer is a contributing editor at BluesWax
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I love it - Holger Peterson - Saturday Night Blues
"Terry Gillespie is one of the most sincerely talented musicians in Canada. He's a bluesman to the core, but not in the traditional sense for he has range and influences that take blues to a whole new level. His blues is the truth and it comes through with every word and melody he wraps his soulful voice around. This is real!" - Sue Foley
Brother of the Blues, a semi-autobiographical work, is a powerful CD. It highlights Gillespie's blues roots and reggae influences, creating an intoxicating fusion that adds a fresh perspective to the contemporary blues scene.
The performers on Brother of the Blues are: Terry Gillespie - vocals, guitar, trumpetPeter "Bushman Piano Finger" Measroch - KeysStephen Barry - Bass Gord Adamson - DrumsJody Golick - SaxMartin Boodman - HarmonicasGuests: Sue Foley - Guitar, Suzanne Lamontagne. Background Vocals. Dave Dragone, Hand Drums
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