In 2012, I wrote a scathing review of Gary Clark Jr.'s full-length debut. All but one of the 17 comments agreed with me. It was a disappointing mess of a record that wasn't sure what it wanted to be. And what it wasn't for sure, was the blistering blues record all the hype before it claimed it would be. The comment that didn't agree with me said, "If he's so terrible, why did Eric Clapton invite him to perform at the Crossroads Festival? You wouldn't know good guitar playing if it punched you in the face," to which I replied, "Clapton also invited Sheryl Crow and I am pretty sure she isn't a good guitar player either." One of the last things I said in the review was that I would not likely go back to Gary Clark Jr., and I didn't...until now.
"This Land" is the first music I have heard from Gary Clark Jr. since 2012 and time has healed all wounds. This time, I wasn't expecting the new Jimi or Stevie Ray. I wasn't expecting anything, and maybe that is why I enjoyed the record as much as I did. Like the debut, it is all over the place with elements of hip hop, funk, soul, and yes, there is some blues here too. What makes "This Land" better than "Blak And Blu?" I don't have a real answer other than, it's more enjoyable to eat what you want than it is to eat what is being forced down your throat.
I'd be interested in hearing from fans of Gary Clark Jr, those who did love "Blak And Blu," as well as those that did not. What do you think of "This Land" compared to his past releases? I am ready to dig deeper. Just don't make me.
8 comments:
I like this record too. And I was also seriously underwhelmed by his debut.
This a bit too long. It's all over the place. But it shows someone working out his ideas and identity in real time and it's often very good. The title song is a stunner. I hear some funk I like. I hear a lot of different styles that really work. it feels like a real artist is being born on this record. Which is a nice surprise for someone I had previously dismissed.
it just occurred to me that the Stones would have had Clark open for them at one of their tour stops back in the day. I am agnostic on him, but wish him luck. The limit to the upside for a blues artist seems to be Taj Mahal or Ben Harper. He's definitely not Robert Cray.
Thanks to you, I will check it out. I'd disliked everything I'd heard before, thinking, like you had, that he was overhyped ordinariness.
Ps. What's Bowie's Slinky Secrets? (in the listening box)
Zippy,
"Slinky Secrets" is a terrific set of stuido rehearsals from the 1995 NIN tour.
I have his 2015 album "The Story Of Sonny Boy Slim", but I haven't listened to it in so long I don't remember it. I'll definitely give it a spin tomorrow after giving "This Land" two listens and liking it a lot. Yeah, it's all over the place, but I didn't hear one bad song, and I heard a lot of great guitar riffs. I hear a good mix of everything that's available in Austin TX.
Texas seems to have the best protest singers- Clark, James McMurtry, and Jesse Dayton.
I gave it a listen, nothing stood out.
For what it's worth, this season he was the only interesting musical guest on SNL in what seems like years.
Can't say I'm a big fan but I absolutely love "Please Come Home" from "Blak and Blu" and "When I'm Gone" from the new one "This Land". I'd have to say I do like the newer album than "Blak and Blu".
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