Customer Reviews

Gale Garnett & the Gentle Reign

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If you don't know the name Gale Garnett, you probably know the song "We'll Sing In The Sunshine."

But, if all you know is "We'll Sing In The Sunshine," then you don't know Gale Garnett.

Remembered today as a "folk singer," Garnett's rich voice, soulful range, jazz singer's improvisational

instincts and oft-penned repertoire put her in the unusual and commercially unenviable position of

being un-categorizable. In truth, she is part troubadour, part cabaret performer, part balladeer,

part torch singer, part pop stylist. She is an original. But a "folk singer?" No more than Sylvia Telles or

Joanie Sommers or Annie Ross could be considered "folk singers." Or Cher - whom Garnett eerily

sounds similar to in range and delivery when she lets go and wails.

Intrigued? You ought to be. Gale Garnett's body of music - largely out of print but rather easy to

find in its original vinyl format - is a gorgeous (and grossly overlooked) treasure of original works that

hold up like jewels to the light.

This CD reissue of two of her albums, An Audience With The Kind of Wands (1968) and Sausalito

Heliport (1969) sparkles. Both works pair her with a crew of musicians called "The Gentle Reign."

Though the members of The Gentle Reign are pictured on the album cover(s) and heard

(pleasantly) on "The Dolphin," (unpleasantly on) "Freddy Mahoney," it is Garnett in the driver's seat

for the entire ride.

An Audience With The King of Wands must've been a cutting edge undertaking in its time (1968). A

14 track album - including 4 "mini songs" which are curious quick vignettes that don't necessarily

rob from the listening experience but don't enhance it either - is the more conventional of the two

albums. That does not mean it is a tame recording. The Eastern-themed, sitar-heavy track

"Breaking Through" is an unexpected opener and nice surprise. Garnett's lyrics (autobiographical?)

reflect the mood of the times (late 1960s) yet ring alarmingly contemporary some 40 years later. Her

use of Eastern chant and arrangements in pop music do not sound dated but perhaps only ahead

of its time. After all, "Breaking Through" was recorded decades before Paula Abdul used Ofra Haza's

voice for her hit single "My Love Is For Real" (1995), or Sting used Cheb Mami's voice for "Desert Rose"

(2000), or Madonna used the voice of Yitzak Sinwami for her 2005 controversial album cut, "Issac."

Other highlights include "Ballad for F. Scott Fitzgerald," "You Cold Have Been Anyone" and an

outstanding slow dancer called "Believe Me" that is so steamily sixties, it is positively "retro." "Believe

Me" fits snugly between Smokey Robinson & The Miracles' "Ooh Baby, Baby" and Rose & The

Originals' "Angel Baby," so surprise the couples on the dance floor at your next party and crank this

one up.

The contents of the second album, Sausalito Heliport," are - even by 2008 standards - completely

experimental and free-form. Think Kate Bush-meets-Grace Slick: circa 1968. The rollicking organ solo

on "This Year's Child" exemplifies this. As chaotic and curled as a maze, the listener is never lost but

pulled through the gossamer screen of a smoky chorus only to resume the fast-paced romp set by

the rhythm of that wild organ.

"Pretty Is Gone," a spirited, sweaty number dripping in psychadelic Hallelujah organ chords offset by

tambourines, is catchy and almost cool. On another track, tribal elements serve the

percussion-heavy and chant-laden "Berkeley Barb Want Ad" very well. You'll want to shimmy in

your seat - if you can stay seated!

Sometimes Garrett's experimentation of blending music/theatre/chant "clicks" in its unique way to

convey a message within a mood ("Deer In The City"), sometimes it just doesn't work at all ("Freddy

Mahoney"). Nevertheless, it's interesting and worth experiencing, and Sausalito Heliport is a

valuable pairing with An Audience With The King of Wands.

Biographical liner notes by Duglas T. Stewart are articulately, informatively and intelligently penned.

The CD artwork and design by Andy Morten consists of excellent reproductions of the respective

album cover arts, fonts, and complimentary use of supplemental images within the reissue design.

Truly an artwork.

Sound Quality: Remastered perfectly. The tones and lower register of Garnett's range are heard

clearly without overbearing the various musicians. Just right and pleasant to the ear. What's

discovered in the "sound recreation" by Norman Blake and Joe Foster is the enormous quality of

Garnett's tone and phrasing - and her astonishing wail. Their collaboration is a sonic toast to

Garnett's instrument.

Kudos to Joe Foster and Andy Morten for selecting two lesser known albums by the

criminally-overlooked and incredibly talented Gale Garnett. Let it be the inauguration for the

musical rediscovery of an artist and a lady worthy of a thorough rennaisance. DAVID YBARRA