Big Drop

George Stanford | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 3, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mercury Records
• ASIN: B0017TCSTE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #313,159 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

If George Stanford ever decides he no longer wants a career in music, he can always fall back on his ability to fluff and fold--a skill he learned at the 10th Street Laundromat in South Philly.

"I had a great landlord who owned the laundromat and the apartments upstairs," he recalls. "When I wasn't recording in my home studio-- which was difficult because of the constant hum of the dryers-- I was downstairs, folding and cleaning people's laundry."

However, one listen to Stanford's Smash/Mercury five-song set, simply titled "The EP," leaves no doubt that it will be a long time before the artist asks if someone wants their shirts starched.

And for good reason. Stanford's EP shows a songwriter following in the tradition of such greats as Paul Simon through to Chris Martin. It also displays his immense range of talent: With his unique and definable voice, Stanford also plays all instruments except drums on the EP.

Stanford's full-length CD, produced by Stanford along with, John Alagia, Dave Tozer, Eric Ivan Rosse and Brian Malouf, will come in 2008, but he felt it was important for listeners to get a taste of what lies ahead. "The songs on the EP are largely my own rough mixes and one song is completely bare bones, just me singing in a room, really stripped down. It's kind of how the label heard me first and what attracted them to me."

Growing up outside of Philadelphia, Stanford was surrounded by song. "Music was always there," Stanford says. His parents' love of classic country and bluegrass by such legendary artists as Ralph Stanley, Hank Williams and Merle Haggard taught him the value of taking the listener on an adventure through song. "I love hearing people tell a story. That's probably why I like old country records so much," he says. "Then with people like Paul Simon, there's the first listen where you hear the story and there are so many layers where you can go back and pick out so many lyrical or sonic elements every time."

Stanford first picked up a trombone--or as he calls it, his "gateway" instrument-- when he was a kid. Bass, guitar and piano followed. His love for music led him to study at University of the Arts in Philadelphia. However, he ultimately abandoned his studies. "I realized that a degree in jazz performance really won't get you a hot cup of jack squat," he says with a laugh. "In examining all the artists that inspire me and get my blood pumping, like Bob Marley, I realized school wasn't necessarily a big part of where any of them came from. I decided the only way to really school myself in music is to play music."

But his schooling did provide one career path; he and several of his fellow students formed a band called Townhall. In their few years together, they became something of a regional sensation, playing in front of up to 2,000 people.

"I learned about being on the road and about the craft of songwriting and the craft of entertaining," he says of his days in Townhall. "Even if it's just a six-inch platform, as soon as you step up on stage, just give them a show. When people buy a ticket, they want a piece of you in a sense and there's also something just in terms of respecting the tradition of all the great people who inspired me, like Tom Petty, who was the first artist I saw live."

Eventually, the members of Townhall grew apart and Stanford decided to go solo: "I found I was reaching people in a fundamentally deeper and more effective way when I would just play my songs with my guitar," he says.

Confirmation of that fact quickly came when, through a little help from a fellow Philadelphian, Stanford landed his record deal. Stanford wrote "Heartbeat," a tune also featured on "The EP," with the aforementioned Tozer, another Philly boy best known for his work with multi-platinum sensation John Legend.

The set opens with "My Own Worst Enemy," a mission statement of sorts about Stanford's relationship with an alternately loving and harsh mistress: music. "It's given me the greatest things. It's about the struggle of trying to make a life out of it," he says. "When I was struggling, I'd start to think about my options and I really couldn't think of any so it always came back to music for me."

The EP's emotional center is "Downriver," a stripped-down song highlighting his ringing guitar work that was recorded live at Los Angeles' taste-making Hotel Café shortly after his arrival in the City of Angels, where he currently lives.

"That's a real important song for me," he says. "It sums up that feeling of surrender, when I decided if I never make a dime from my music, I have to be okay with that because this is the path I've chosen. It was very liberating in a lot of ways. There's going to be rapids and obstacles, but the only way to reach the other side is to throw away your fears and go with the flow."

It looks like the Laundromat will have to wait.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Album, a Must Buy, July 19, 2008

By 

J. Peaco - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Big Drop (Audio CD)

I had the great pleasure of seeing George Stanford at Jammin' Java last Wednesday. I have to say I was blown away by him.

The album is just as great.

My Own Worst Enemy and Big Drop start the CD off on the right foot. They give an idea of George's range. Downriver is probably the best written and performed song on the entire CD. The opening guitar rifts really set the tone for the song.

But personally my favorite song is Let's Stay Here. All I can say is wow. You'll be humming this all day. I know I do.

This is a great first CD by a really great artist. We'll be hearing a lot more from this guy in the years to come. So you should get this CD!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't stop listening to it, December 22, 2009

By 

C. McCutcheon (Lakewood OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Big Drop (MP3 Download)

Really, I can't. At home, in the car, at work. I'm not sure exactly what to say about it without resorting to gushing. The title song is one of the greatest songs I have ever heard - the voice, the melody, the arrangement are all perfectly in sync. That song alone is worth downloading the whole CD - just to keep this guy in business. What the hell - I might download it twice.
If I could compare George Stanford to any other artists, the closest I could come are Jeff Buckley, especially the sound and introspective lyrics of "Downriver", and Andy Skib of To Have Heroes, for the general feel of the music (I think that's where I heard about this CD - bless you, Andy baby).
FYI - the samples of the songs offered on Amazon don't do them justice. These songs are much bigger than the 30 or so seconds sampled. Well, that sounds stupid - I don't mean bigger as in longer than 30 seconds, which of course they are, but progressively more complex as each song evolves. Just buy it and I promise to shut up.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great debut album, October 4, 2009

By 

Alan T (Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Big Drop (Audio CD)

I highly recommend this music. George excels with both vocals and instrumental accompaniment. The songwriting is very engaging.