Customer Reviews

Can You Live Without

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is great. Living in Austin, I get the chance to see Guy live quite often. Believe me, he has one of the greatest voices I've ever heard. I was worried that it would not come through in CD format. But it does. His songwriting is sometimes outstanding, as in "Children of Jack," but sometimes a little on the weak side. Nevertheless, this album has MANY highlights. "Calico Girl," "Tattle Tale" and "True Friends" are among the best. This album will probably classified as "blues." That's true in a way, but also a misnomer. Forsythe and band do know what the blues are all about. But they are far to innovative, forward looking and yet backward looking ("True Friends") at the same time. Buy this album for his voice-- I once saw Guy play in a 3,000+ venue and walk off stage during a song... the band kept playing onstage while Guy sang sans amplification. The crowd hushed in awe, his voice filled the place. It's that powerful. But listen to this album over and over because the songs stick in your head and the band provides plenty of delicious licks... And did I mention that "Children of Jack" is one of the greatest songs ever?

I've been listening to Guy ever since a friend introduced me to the Asylum Street Spankers, way back before they had any albums out. Now I live far from Austin, but I still listen to Guy Forsyth. This is his best one so far--while still firmly planted in the blues, he grows beyond the boundaries, following the music where it takes him. This CD has music that can make me cry, that can make me sit very still and think.

More like this, Guy, please!

I went to Austin in a 3,000 miles trip on the south of the US. Being a Fabulous Thunderbirds' fan, I thought that a visit to Antone's was well worth. The night I did it Guy Forsyth was playing; I had never heard of him before.

I think I will always remember the moment they opened the show: it was so powerful I was shocked. Then it went on; it was so good that my shock just went deeper. Later, when I bought both the "Needle Gun" and the "High Temperature" CD's, I gladly realized that there was the song that amazed me: "Don't turn me in". It looks powerful on the CD, but it gets much stronger live. The rest is just as good as this, and even better.

I have been a no. 1 fan of Guy Forsyth ever since, and I was looking forward for the next release of his. As soon as it got out, I bought it, and I have to say that once again the money was well spent. This record is not straight powerful blues; it is more folkier and traditional blues-y, but it displays the commitment of Guy Forsyth to do good music no matter what the style is.

Check it out; you will not be disappointed.

"Can You Live Without" is such a strong set that although it is now fairly hard to find, it remains in strong demand. Forsyth has re-recorded many of the tunes on this disc to his new release "Calico Girl." I loved his CD Love Songs: For and Against & have been watching the used prices for this disc. "If I Was Sick" has a classic rock feel with a blues flavor. Forsyth plays stinging electric slide; and Mark Addison is on vibrato guitar, "If I was high & I couldn't come down, would you give me your hand? If I was high & I couldn't come down, would you watch me crash land?" "Don't You Mind People Grinning In Your Face" starts with a disjointed percussion that seems off-kilter leading to Forsyth's vocal swagger. "Tattle Tale" sounds like a cousin to the "Hong Kong Blues" with a crazed percussion, "Well I trusted you with my butterfly knife, German rain coat and sister's life; If I was good as gold, you would melt me down." Forsyth's stinging electric slide with Mark Addison on piano are front & center on "Faith." The set ends with a ukulele solo and clarinet soft shoe called "True Friends" that sounds incredibly tongue-in-cheek, "You're the one I'll be returning to when all the rose is burning and the moon is sinking in the bay." "Can You Live Without" is a daring and breathtakingly successful set, well worth seeking almost a decade after its 1999 release. Enjoy!

"Can You Live Without" is one of the most powerful songs I have ever heard. I have wonderful memories of camping in a redwood forrest, close to a lake and near a fire, and hearing this song for the very first time. The entire CD is worth the price for this one song alone.

As has been said before, nothing is quite like being there. Guy Forsyth is an amazing talent and this is some of his best work. "Children of Jack" has been a favorite of mine since the first time I heard it performed. This version manages to catch the feeling that makes you want to pick up and travel. "Calico Girl" is certain to catch your attention with the sound of Guy's voice. "Can You Live Without" is the one that will make you stop and think about your life. Even if you only buy CD's once in a while, this one is not to be missed.

Can you live without is a great album. It's less bluesy than Forsyth's other 2 albums but is still strongly influenced by the blues tradition. It's a great mix of rock, blues and a little folk and has that sound that belongs only to Guy Forsyth. I've listened to this band for years now and have been a fan since the first time I saw them. But the band currently is the best it's ever been and this album reflects that.

GUY FORSYTH COMES OUT OF THE ASYLUM WITH THIRD ALBUM; `CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT' BRINGS OUT DIVERSE INFLUENCES

AUSTIN, Texas (March 3, 1999) - After staking out a musical career that has ranged from warped blues to acoustic `20s pop music, Guy Forsyth returns with a long-awaited third album - 'Can You Live Without' (Antone's Records), due out on March 16 - solidifying his place as a performer and songwriter with a "calico of influences," both musical and literary.

Leaving Austin's famed microphone-free Asylum Street Spankers ("I had to choose one band or another or it wasn't fair to either," he says), Forsyth entered the studio with producer Dave McNair (Jimmie Vaughan, Kacey Crowley) and his longtime band (consisting of Gil T, George Rarey and Mambo) and a few comrades (Mark Addison of the Borrowers, Michael Ramos from Charlie Sexton's band and Chris Searles, who's played with Abra Moore), armed with a pallette of new songs. Of the new tunes, all are original except for one by Delta bluesman Son House ("Don't You Mind People Grinning In Your Face.")

What emerged from Forsyth's fertile imagination is a suite of songs that evoke blues, gospel, back alley serenades, embedded folk melodies, antique popular soundtracks of another era, honky tonk calypso and more - without being slavishly imitative of any pre-existing style.

"Everything that came before this was about establishing my foundation and learning about music," Forsyth says, "but this record is a more personal statement. Everything prior to this has been about the tools. This album is about using them."

The cover of 'Can You Live Without' takes the form of an illustration that harkens back to Forsyth's days of role-playing in various Renaissance Faires. "It's an Old World Guy with a sword in one hand and a burning bouquet of roses in the other," he says. "The anachronistic style underscores the importance of tradition. The symbols of the flower, sword and fire ask, `Can you live without?' It's control vs. surrender, yin vs. yang."

Able to tour nationally on the critical acclaim of his prior Antone's disc, 'Needlegun,' and a prior album on the Munich label, Forsyth says, "A lot of people have been waiting for this album for a long time. It was a long road to get it here, and I like what it is. Whether it does well or not, it's the thing I needed to make."

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There's nothing quite like being there, but a CD will do in a pinch. If you are fortunate enough to live in Austin, the Guy Forsyth Band is the show to catch. The energy these guys give to live performance is incredible. While the recorded versions aren't as gritty as the live ones, they are just as good. Guy's vocals are as rich as his guitar and harmonica talents. Gil T. is unmatched in his ability to make the bass grind, and George's guitar goes from sweet to sexy in seconds. Mambo's drums in "I Like it When She's Easy" will get you dancing after the first measure. This band does it all, and well.

He's amazing. He's such a great song writer. I just love his music...this is my favorite CD!! Not only is he talented he's really cute too!! Come to Austin and see him. Every show is just awesome!