25 THINGS by Dan Garner, says writer-editor-songwriter Karl Hasten, is A sprawling, ambitious project with 25 songs.
It paints a diverse sonic and lyrical landscape, says Hasten, that showcases Garner¹s broad diversity of musical influences. At times displaying the perceptive intellect of a Leonard Cohen, at others, exposing a Warren Zevon playful slyness, 25 Things cooks up a gumbo that sacrifices stylistic continuity for an always surprising and satisfying eclectricity. On the opening cut, I Told You Before, Garner attempts to impart world-wizended wisdom to his children, and that lyrical maturity is masterfully counterbalanced with the raw musical energy of a proto-power punk music bed. This is a great device for luring the kids in to listen to the message with music they can relate to.
Garner moves from the energetic power of proto-punk to the realm of sensitive singer/songwriter with effortless ease. In You¹re So Beautiful he tells the object of his affections that you¹re so beautiful, you don¹t even know. This is a subtle but searing romantic line guaranteed to make a heart melt, right up there in a league with you had me at hello. On several notable cut like What Makes The World Go Round² someone Who Can and the unsentimentally nostalgic Bossier Strip, Garner slips into the smooth blues grooves indigenous to this area .
Garner is not only a prolific writer but a well-versed student of the musical history of this area and beyond. Given that talent, Garner references several genre and artists without sounding like he is copying any of them. His vocals do occasionally evoke early Dylan and Nick Drake, even Michael Franks here and there, but he never appears to be doing a cover. And, since he wrote all the songs on the CD, he has kept everything well within the range of his voice. There are some stand out guest stars on 25 Things, including guitarists Mark Griffith, Ron Johnson and Dave Green; background vocalists Cookie Garner and Amelia Blake and The Ever Ready Gospel Singers, to name a few. Ron Johnson¹s fluid, blistering lead work on Someone Who Can channels Stevie Ray Vaughn¹s swagger, and Dave Green adds an alternative and progressive fire to I Told You Before.
Sample Garner's latest at MySpace.com/25Things.
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