Search - Clarence Gatemouth Brown :: Man

One of the finest albums of the 90s.

10/06/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Few artitsts are as good at the blues as they are at bluegrass. Clarence Gatemouth Brown is one of them.A leading exponent of the Texas Blues tradition, Brown could well be called an essentially Blues man. This is what you feel when you hear "early in the morning", the second track on the album. "You can disagree" follows the same trail, with Brown's lilting blues style.Transition occurs, however, not only in the musical style, but also apparently in Brown's singing mood, as we switch over to "Jamabalaya" and "I wonder". Both these songs give testimony to Brown's skill at country and bluegrass. You can swing to them, tap your feet, or plain nod your head and move your lips (if you are lucky, you will manage to sing slong with him, too !)Brown's skill at songwriting comes through with "there you are"; you can't hide away from yourself, honey, .. that is his message. He continues to churn out words of reflection and wisdom with "old folks cry a lot more".Then, there is the gentle "unchained melody"... while the Righteous Brothers made a hit out of it through their powerful vocal rendition,Brown makes the track come alive with his gentle guitar Wonder.. how much real talent never dominates the charts.. or sweeps the stage at music award ceremonies..."