re: wanted: Dennis Gruenling reviews

["Rick B" <rick@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

kcmojoe wrote:
>>I'm interested in hearing what anyone has to say about D.G.'s c.d.'s

I have a longish review of Dennis Gruenling's "Up All Night", on the front
page of www.bluesharp.org  .

Here are a couple excerpts from the review:

Stockyard Blues
On "Stockyard Blues" Dennis plays with the same architectural clarity that
George "Harmonica" Smith had. Dennis's notes are as balanced and
harmonically load bearing as the cables on a suspension bridge. This
characterises Dennis's style in general. He's a guy who has already played a
lot of notes in his life, and now only plays the ones he needs. In "Stock
Yard Blues" and "You Got It" he can play his harp phrases throughout the
song simultaneously with the vocals and with no clash. The harp playing
becomes a suspension bridge that the vocalist can walk across.  This
technique was pioneered in the Muddy Waters band by Little Walter, but as
with all things, Dennis polishes and improves.

True Love
 "True Love" is really cool because it is a Gruenling composition that
sounds just like a Sonny Boy II King Biscuit hour radio transmission, except
that it is recorded way better. Sandy Mack sings just like Sonny Boy. The
harp player snaps his fingers with jazzy, almost off kilter syncopation just
like the man. The drums sound like wood and metal that's barely a drum set,
yet its beautiful because it's beautifully recorded. The bass almost sounds
like someone blowing into jugs. Even the electric guitar fuzzes out like the
original, except more artistically. It is a beautiful, loving homage,
similiar in principle to Gary Primach's gut bucket homage to Howling Wolf on
"Company Man" called "Dry County Blues".

    --Rick Beall
       www.bluesharp.org