GUNN Blues Band

Canada has had a half-century love affair with pure Rhythm ‘n’ Blues only rivaled by our century long love of Country & Western. For a while in the 1960s R & B was revered and became the only legitimate artistic pursuit for ‘real’ musicians outside of classical and jazz genres. But in the wake of the British Invasion’s dominance of pop culture R & B’s most prominent players were mined for pop and rock music pursuits and the genre itself was pushed back into juke joints, back room bistros and small town beer halls. Unbeknownst to the world at large, the R & B movement survived and has grown a solid roots movement. But this time the players aren’t easily swayed into selling out their craft for commercial interests. The acts are digging in their heels and developing a culture of festivals and steady paying gigs that are consistently attracting purists of every musical stripe. It’s bands like guitarist Greg Gunhold’s GUNN that are leading the charge. Resonance Road is a slick, incredibly produced “musician’s” album. Gunhold takes the listener on a multitude of stylistic rides as a showcase for his tasty virtuoso guitar workouts which clocks in at nearly 70 minutes. It would be a bold gamble for any indie act were it not in the hands of his crackerjack band: Danny Zane (bass), Brock Gillis (Hammond B3), Sally Chappus (drums), and Corinne Buschmeyer (vocals). Buschmeyer is used to great effect on the first half of the album adding a pure vocal narrative to some fairly straightforward song arrangements. And the lyrics aren’t your standard blues contrivances. Both Sumthin’ I Hate About Myself (It's You) and Burn Down puts a fresh coat of paint on the tried and true “baby, you done me wrong” genre and it’s a welcome relief. The song arrangements stray far enough away from the genre’s I, IV, V blueprint enough to make them uniquely GUNN’s. Buschmeyer’s vocal on Let You Go makes it a truly stand out track on the CD; There’s also a smooth jazz/blues fusion rendition of The Beatles Eleanor Rigby that Buschmeyer handles with aplomb. Not since Al Kooper’s version on 2004’s 40 Years Ago Today: A Tribute to the Beatles has the song been given a respectful re-interpretation that works. The album’s other face is a spotlight on Gunhold’s original instrumental guitar workouts where he meticulously crafts tasty melodic solos in Allman Brothers territory (Lazy), Pat Travers (Big Shoes), and a battle of the guitar personalities with a Billy Gibbons vs. Joe Satriani showdown (Resonance Road). The tastiest passage could be the cross pollination of Amos Garrett blues & Pat Methany jazz on Motown Blues where we also get a showcase for Gillis’ Hammond B3 playing. Good to hear Canadian Rhythm ‘n’ Blues making a comeback on its own terms.