Customer Reviews

Tug of War

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are some albums that touch the deepest core of the human spirit. Somewhere beyond that you'll find Gabriel Mann's 'tug of war'.

Gabriel Mann has a big, big future ahead. Their music is infectious. It grabs you and wraps you up until you're soaking in it. This thing's gonna never leave your CD player. You'll listen to it over and over again.

For me, it's become my compass. These spoken-from-the-heart lyrics have become my theme and guidebook for living out daily operations. Combine all this with three talented musicians and you end up with one heck of an album.

My advice? Simple. Buy a copy for your home, then buy another for your car. Buy a copy for your boat if ya got one. Then get a bunch for all your friends.

gabriel mann is a man of talent, a man of vision, a man of heart. he brings together a solid crew of three: michael blanchard, the funky and driven bassist, adam marcello, precision drummer extraordinaire, and himself, the intellectual yet soulful keyboardist with a handle on music like no other. the album is graced with a handful of other artists, icing on the cake of Tug-of-War. every song is a journey- a perfectly calculated, yet seemingly spontaneous manipulation of the listener's eager ear. the lyrics are heartfelt and poetic: still speaking to a larger, more intense context. influenced by all the goodies: police, elton john, tool... gabriel mann and his cohorts bring together a veritable smorgasboard of sounds and textures to produce a charismatic, tactile, groove-driven album that will leave you asking for more, more, more.

Amazing album. I own everything by Gabriel Mann and it all is fantastic. Grab this CD and all of the others he has put out. And check out, "The Rescues," another project that features Mr. Mann's unique touch.

Pick up this album, you will not regret it!

Tug of War, the follow-up album to Gabe's debut album, Careen, proves to be more polished, mature, and introspective without losing any of the strength, soul, emotion and intensity of the first album. When I first bought Careen I thought it was the best thing since fudge covered Oreos. Now I can't get Tug of War out of my CD player, no matter how many times I listen to it.
Gabe and Co. bring full and flowing instrumentals and powerful vocals in the ballads such as "Lighted Up", "We Are We" and "Go Up to Go Down", as each one follows the theme of easing its way in gently with melodic piano lines only to explode in a fete of choral vocal backgrounds and full chords and percussion coming from every direction by the end of the song. They leave you completely fulfilled and taking a deep breath to soak all the magnificent flavors in, with Gabe wailing his heart out and touching your soul the whole while. On the more grooving side of things, Gabe comes nowhere near disappointing when it comes to his funky, rockin faster tracks, such as "Change", "Someone Else for One Day", and his re-make of "Slumber", a track off his first album, which here takes on a completely divergent and more vibrant life than it posessed in its first incarnation.
Gabe's lyrics are, as another reviewer mentioned, quite deep and very thoughtful. In addition, they are so universal, and that's what makes it so easy to memorize his songs and sing them over and over long after you've reached your destination and have turned off the car and CD player- his tunes are catchy but not generic, introspective but not predictable, playful but not campy.
This album is great for anyone who is looking for deep music to connect to. It is equally great for anyone who is just looking for some good music to drive and groove to. It is also great for anyone who is looking for the next big thing. Cause Gabe and his crew are definitely the next big thing. Buy this album- you won't regret it.

Gabriel Mann's got a truly fantastic voice... and you can actually HEAR his lyrics. A rarity in rock.

Give it a listen. He's worth it.

Every once in a while you come across a CD that you hear once, then can't get enough of it. This is one of those albums. I heard it once in my friend's car and I couldn't get To the Wire out of my head until I finally got my own copy. Kudos to the band for a great album and great songwriting.

Definitely an disc worth checking out. I look foreward to hearing more from this trio.

I don't buy many indepent release CDs, but I saw this band live in LA and had to grab a copy of the album to see if it lived up to the show.

I'm impressed. The first song "Lighted Up" would be a hit with enough radio exposure - as would "Go Up To Go Down". In fact there's several songs right behind it.

I've bought a lot of the bigger name artists CDs this year, and this honestly ranks up there with the best. It should only be a matter of time before we hear more from these guys.

gabriel mann is going to be big. get on this wagon so you can say you knew him when. if you like rock, if you like soul, if you like pop, if you like funk, if you like lyrics that you can take with you and put under your pillow, GABE GABE GABE.

please do not miss out. this CD will enter into your world and never, ever leave. you need this cd. seriously.

you like rock? i mean, real rock? what about pop? funk? soul? GET THIS ALBUM. this is honestly a must-have. the talent emanating from this group is truly amazing-- and the fact that they're a local group starting to really take hold is refreshing and wonderful. don't let this opportunity pass you by. GET THIS CD. YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID. trust me. (i trust complete strangers all the time, don't you?)