Today’s mail brought something special. In a plain brown wrapper the Gibson Brothers new CD “They Called it Music” waited for an eager opening and a big loud listening. So I cranked up the volume knob on the player and sat back with a notebook in hand, ready to jot down thoughts as the tracks sailed along. Well, I might as well have been empty handed because I completely forgot about taking notes. These twelve songs had me so wrapped up in listening that writing would have broken the spell.
A track by track analysis isn’t happening here. This album needs to be taken as a whole. Radio DJ’s are going to have a tough time selecting favorite songs to play on their shows. Every tune has something to suggest it as the best of the disc. Traditional Bluegrass folks will have their favorites like “Sundown and Sorrow” or “I’ll Work it Out”. Old time country fans will probably choose “Dying for Someone to Live For” or “The Darker the Night, the Better I See”. People that like a sharper edge to their Bluegrass may prefer “Dusty Old World” or “Buy a Ring, Call the Preacher”. But it’s not that easy to define these songs. They cross lines. They wreck stereotypes. They’re original.
When the Gibson Brothers pick a song from other songwriters they keep open minds. On this CD there are songs from Joe Newberry, Shawn Camp and Loretta Lynn, Adirondack treasures Roy Hurd and Elizabeth Hill, Mark Knopfler and classic country writers J.L. Frank and Pee Wee King. Even that old standby Public Domain (actually Austin Taylor) gets a hearing with “Home on the River” a classic gospel tune. But here’s the thing friends – every composition on this CD becomes a Gibson Brothers song, whether they wrote it or not. They own them all.
Now I need to talk about production values a little bit. This CD sounds amazingly clean and clear. All the band members are perfectly tuned in to the Gibson’s vision of how to present a song. Clayton Campbell is so strong and supportive, Joe Walsh adds that subtle mandolin drive and Mike Barber’s bass is rock solid yet imaginative. Most every track has standout solo work. And the guitar and banjo playing is a treat to hear. But the blending of all these elements makes it seem like the band is sitting in your living room playing a casual private concert. It’s that good.
I’m going to get personal for a minute and mention my favorite song on the album. It’s the last track, “Songbird’s Song”, which touched me in a special way. I’m a poet, or trying to be, and I sometimes read a song with poetry in mind. This simple little piece has really good poetic elements. It is sentimental without being overly sweet. It has a sense of melancholy but remains hopeful. It has a lovely rhythm and rhyme scheme that stands well without musical accompaniment. When this fine poem is set to music, with the gentle harmonies of the “whoo-whoo” added to the mix, it reached this listener’s heart. Deeply.
So buy this CD. I’ve been accused of being a cheerleader for, and “uber-fan” of, the Gibson Brothers. Well that’s true and I’m proud of those appellations. But there’s a reason for my fanaticism – these guys make great music and that’s something that deserves attention.
Now have a fine day.
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