Search - Thea Gilmore :: Songs from the Gutter

Phenomenal CD by an artist with talent to burn

John Long | Miami | 11/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If I could rate this with 6 stars I would. Simply the best CD I've bought in at least a decade the songs are so good. From catchy hard rock (When Did You Get So Safe) to country blues (Mud on My Shoes) Alanis style techno (Down to Nowhere), heady solo acoustic (Water to Sky), to otherworldly dreamscapes (And Well Dance). This would easily be a greatest hits album for most artists.



And this is before you get to the bonus CD. Almost too good to be true. The first track ("Hydrogen") is probably the best flat out rock song I've heard in about a year, and the chord change in the acoustic "Lavender Cowgirl" is of the most unexpectedly clever ones I've ever heard. Most of the bonus CD is acoustic. The song "December in New York" is brilliant with its acoustic guitar and piano--it sounds like something straight off Joni Mitchell's Blue album. There's even a spoken word song "Don't set foot over the railway track".



Thea's voice on these discs echoes those of a number of other female artists (Natalie Merchant, Alanis Morrisette, Joni Mitchell, Chrissy Hynde, and even Margo Timmins from the Cowboy Junkies). To me, these songs sound like they're sung by several different women rather than one artist.



After just one play I was a fan. Simply a must have."

Best kept secret in music, but not for much longer

V. J Signorotti | below sea level in california | 01/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thea Gilmore is arguably the most literate and provocative singer/songwriter of her generation and with six full-length CD's to her credit, she is also one of the most prolific.



On Songs from the Gutter Thea takes you on an aural roller coaster ride that leaves you breathless and begging for more. There are no two songs alike and each selection creates a musical landscape that can be favorably compared to the best work of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and all of the great wordsmiths that have come before her. The songs range from a captivating rendition of Dylan's I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine to the introspection of Tear It All Down. The imagery found in Heart String Blues ("It is rising like the evening tide around an old shipwreck, It is tightening that pretty little noose around your neck") is as brilliant as it is timeless.



Her wit, humor and phrasing combined with her God-given talent as a musician place Thea in the company of the masters. Listen to Songs From the Gutter or any of her other releases and you'll understand why Thea Gilmore is a force to be reckoned with."

The Real Deal

Fernando Marçal | Sao Paulo - Brazil | 10/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just a few words before we start. When it comes to music review, I'm always ceptical. I mean, if the stuff is good, you don't have to explain much. Just listen to the tune. Music speaks for itself and, quotin Bob Marley, "one good thing about music is that when it hits you, you feel no pain", or something like that. Whatever. My first and only contact with Thea Gilmore, so far, was through a promo cd on the current issue of MOJO magazine. The song in question was a cover version of Clash's "I'm Not Down", not included on this US release. It took just one listen to the song to make me realize that, whoever Thea Gilmore was, she was gifted. A natural artist. One of a kind. That's all it took. One single tune. Enough. As I'm writing this, I'm still unaware of any other song on the album. It's not really necessary, though. Get the album, as I will do myself, and you'll see what I meant. Sorry folks, for my poor English. PS: By the way, I love Bob Dylan, I love The Clash and I'll love Thea Gilmore."