Customer Reviews

Gary Go

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I wasn't sure what to expect from Gary Go, since apparently the Amazon review claims Peter Gabriel thinks he is a songwriting genius. Its good. There aren't any tracks that particularly stand out as songs I must listen to over a million times (I'm that type of person) in a single week, but all of them are really solid. I find that when one of the songs comes up on one of my shuffles at work, I always notice it - in a good way. His songs are fun, flowy and heartfelt, especially "Wonderful".

So Gary Go is not my new singer/songwriter idol, but he is definitely staying on the heavy rotation list.

I think this is one of those CDs that you will either really enjoy or not care for at all. For me, I personally really enjoyed this one. Gary Go is obviously a fantastic song writer, many of the song's lyrics take you on journeys, sometime even when you don't expect it.

I usually never fault anyone for their vocals and I will keep that the same. I will say at times Go's vocals come across as a little unrefined, I think it adds that something extra t his style. Much like David Wilcox and Gary Jules.

For fans of singer/songwriter indie style music I would really encouarge you to take a listen to the clips and see what you think. I for one, am glad I did so.

Gary Go certainly has some talented producers behind his sound, but the overall product is fairly generic. It was a chore to try and swallow this entire record without losing interest. It's a standard contemporary pop record. The kind of thing you hear while shopping in your mothers department store of choice. Unoffensive background noise, but nothing exciting or ear-turning present either.

This group of songs gives off a dreamy and melancholy vibe which isn't a bad thing, especially as melancholy doesn't veer into whiny. I find them almost cool-jazzy which makes the slightly overproduced pop sound they're recorded with a bit incongruent. These spare yet hooky melodies do a good job of suggesting the reflection and searching expressed in the lyrics. This album also peaks my interest in where Gary will go next. This may not be the soundtrack for certain Type A personalities, but it's definitely worth a listen.

Yes, it's true: there are clear resemblances between Gary Go and Coldplay (among others). But his songwriting also hints at his more sophisticated '70s influences. There's something going on in these tunes. I enjoyed this even though the genre isn't really my cup of tea (I normally listen to a lot of metal and progressive rock, as well as orchestral music -- my favorite recent musical discovery is the East Village Opera Company). In fact, maybe this only truly rates 3 stars, but I'm giving it a fourth just because this disc grew on me more than I expected it to and I haven't tired of it like I thought I would. I'll be interested to see what direction he takes on his next record.

Note that I gave up paying any attention to pop music lyrics years ago, so I am rating this solely based on the music (singing included), not the words.

Unlike the over-processed sound of many "pop" debut albums or the "rushed and cheap" sound that some indie albums have, Gary Go's offering had a very smooth and professional production quality to it. It sounded more like a 2nd or 3rd album to me where the artist knows where they are going and not just taking shots in odd directions like someone's first outing.

The songs on this CD were a pleasant listen and a couple of times I was reminded a bit of Sting's voice inflection, especially on the first track "Open Arms". The lyrics were vocally interesting and had a more story-telling quality than you hear in much of current music. I was impressed with the variety of rhythms used, it kept songs distinct.

My favorite is track is "Wonderful", an excellent example of great lyrics combined with a flowing rhythm that produces something you'll find yourself tapping your foot to, perhaps with a bit of a head nod as well.

It seems Gary Go gets likened to Dave Matthews Band/Coldplay/Maroon 5/Robbie Williams and the likes. I also found this to be the case, however it seems the music has it's own definite style and he's not afraid to mix it up.

I've found this to be good relaxing/chill music, tracks like 'Speak' can relax you, while 'Refuse to Lose' brings out the rock a bit more.

Overall this is a good debut, and look forward to hearing more from him in the future.

I've listened to this album a few times, ,and find myself coming back repeatedly. I agree with other reviewers that I quickly found myself thinking of Cold Play or Maroon 5. But, while it's similar, it's still different enough to be interesting. Also, there's a reason I've liked cold Play and Maroon 5, and Gary Go just falls into that same group of great music and a great album. There are a few different songs, which come as a surprise, but it only seems to keep the album just a little different.

Overall this is a great album which I'd definitely recommend.

I liked this CD, though it isn't one I'd listen to over and over. Still, I appreciate his songwriting and hope he gets commercial airplay. A tune at a time would go down mighty easy.

He has a kind of Coldplay thing going, though the lyrics are more straightforward. But the drums were mixed in too prominently, or maybe too formulaic? I wish they'd toned down the standard radio-rock drums and either gone more acoustic, or something less predictable.

Still, this is upbeat pop music, and it's refreshing to hear evolved lyrics for a change!

At a time when, so often, a great beat in songs is often accompanied by trite, contrived, forced, or repetive lyrics...or when truly thoughtful lyrics aren't as often paired with a smooth voice, I found this cd to be very refreshing.

Each song is as much a story through it's words as it is pleasing to listen to. There is thought here in the vocals, the range, and the words so I found his works compelling.

Take, for example, a portion of the opening song, "Open Arms"...(and I'll agree with the other reviewers that there is a slight smooth Sting-esque-married-with-Coldpla tone to Gary Go,with perhaps a bit of an edge):

Whatever happened to truth? Lost without a trace
Whatever happened to the mirror? That showed me a happy face?
Whatever happened to sorry? You know it's never too late
Whatever happened to good things coming.. Coming to those who wait?
Whatever happened to this city? It's not like it used to be...
...Whatever happened to me?



or, from "Refuse to Lose":

I took one eye off the ball/I took my foot off the break/things didn't go the way I planned/I want to not want at all/I want to give what I take/It's not how you leap, it's how you land...



Its always enjoyable to hear a flowing rhythm and an interesting singer, but I've always looked a bit deeper into singers I enjoy via the songwriting and poetic meaning of their tunes in addition to how well they sing them; I want the whole package.

I find that Gary Go delivers. Nice tone and voice. Meaningful lyrics. Memorable tunes.

and, as an aside, I kinda like the "old school" look of the dvd cover (although I probably woulda gone with a different background color other than beige but that's just me.)