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Gogo, David - Skeleton Key - 2002 - Cordova Bay Records CBR-0262 |
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Written by Tim Holek
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 What better way to indulge oneself into the works
of David Gogo by listening to his latest release while driving around beautiful
and breath-taking Vancouver Island. This ain’t Mississippi so you leave
understanding why Gogo’s style of roots music is not traditional. The
Nanaimo, British Columbia native aspired to be like Stevie Ray. A chance
meeting with his idol provided the needed encouragement to try it in the music
business. Gogo’s band quickly jumped to the point where they were opening
for blues legends touring western Canada. This led to solo deal with
EMI/Capitol. He soon parted ways with the huge label and settled on Canadian
indie Cordova Bay.
(Just Ask) Jesse James is a heavy
hitter with a beat that shakes you from head to toe. Brendan Hedley’s
piano is soaring while Gogo’s slide is wicked as expected. David’s
aggressive and assertive vocals are nicely softened by the backing vocals of
Melisa Devost. Two musicians are credited with the organ work: Hedley and Rick
Hopkins. I'm not sure who is performing on Backstroke but he is
so good, you will have the track programmed for auto-repeat. On it, Gogo proves
he can play exactly like Albert Collins in this tribute to the Master of the
Telecaster. The organ is hypnotizing and pensive while the guitar tone reflects
the late 60s/early 70s on Reap What You Sow. The pop ballad,
I Can Still Hear You Crying is loaded with emotion especially
Gogo’s heartfelt vocals. At the end of the stirring track, David says,
‘that one felt good man’. Listeners will surely agree.
The
groove of the title track creates a joyous celebration of life. Here, the two
part male vocal harmonies and horns accent the song’s soulful feel. Pierre
Komen (sax), Earle Gibson (trombone) and Tina Jones (trumpet) combine again on
Fool For You while the backing vocals reign supreme.
Walkin is a fun, barnstorming, barrelhouse attack featuring the
drums of Billy Hicks and the harp of Gerry Barnum. Throughout, Todd
Sacerty’s bass rumbles and shakes the foundation.
For those
unfamiliar with the Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus you may be
expecting a gospel groove. The lyrics are about reaching out to touch faith but
the rhythm is almost alternative in nature featuring Gerry’s dirty
harp. Belgian Moon is a funky rock groove where the band gets a
chance to play off each other by trading licks and solos. All along,
Gogo’s guitar rocks out with the help of pedal magic. On this 55 minute,
15 track disc, Gogo matures as a musician and songwriter. Half of the content
is original material. Even though the non-originals are performed with
Gogo’s own twists, his songwriting has become so strong that covers are no
longer required.
The screeching wild banshee blasts from previous CDs
(like Halfway To Memphis) have almost been put to rest with the
exception of It Don’t Make Sense. Sure, in-your-face rockers
such as Stay Away From My Home and Things Are About To
Change are still present but they are performed in a more controlled
fashion.
The new Gogo has as much energy but more intelligently
discharges it. David Gogo is classified as a blues-rocker but you won’t
find much blues here. However if your tastes warm to heavy hitters and pop
ballads that are joyous, fun, alternative, funky and soulful then Skeleton Key
will appeal to you.
Copyright 2002. Review by Tim Holek.
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