Steve Gunn albums

2021

Other You - 90%

               I believe Gunn channels the best of influences to make something completely his own here. It’s a great accomplishment and making of one’s identity for someone who has been a part of many groups of to this point (His own group GHQ and Black Dirt Oak, even legends like Michael Champan and Kurt Vile). The songs on here are produced like they are floating on a river, the guitars sort of swish into each other (see the delicate “Morning River” or perfect closer “Ever Feel That Way”). “Fulton” owes its heart to Joni Mitchell’s intricate and percussive acoustic guitar playing while soloing like an out of control Ira Kapaln over the surface. “Good Wind” is a song John Martyn wishes he could have written, all blissful flutes and swooshing guitars, its my favorite on the album. “Other You” and “Reflection” are straight of the 1970’s singer songwriter cannon.

               It’s folk music at its core, the rock is definitely an after though as wild as the guitars can get, “On the Way” is definitely some sort of mix of the two genres sounding familiar but also from another world at the same time. Steve Gunn is a man who has been around and developed his own brand of music. Somehow it is as hazy as a summer fog but as lovely as a canoe ride down the river- with the occasional rapids we all have to steer through. Some people dislike Gunn’s vocals, but they really suit his music: a sort of folk rock with angel wings, its meant to vanish in the either and not be as spectacular as the music around it. Either way, this set of songs outdoes anything he has attempted before.

Best Songs: Good Wind, On the Wat, Reflection, Ever Feel That Way