'Everybody Wants Some': The BUSINESS (2005)
In February 2008 my band and I were invited
to perform at the Australian Blues Music
Festival in Goulburn NSW.
Part of the package we wereoffered included accommodation and, as fate
would have it, my own room at the motel was
next door to Central Coast-based keyboardist,
Parris McLeod and his beautiful wife, Wu
Pu-Yu. Parris co-owns Cloud Recording Studios
at Wyong and had recently produced, played
on and co-wrote seven out of the ten tracks
on what is a superb first release by one
of the most wonderful, exciting and powerful
vocalists that I have heard in a very long
time - Gail PAGE.
That album, COLOURS THAT RUN, was to figure
one way one or another in six out of the
seven available categories for the 'CHAIN
Australian Blues Music Awards' and won three
of those. More as we progress.
While I could not consider Gail as a 'Blues
Singer' per se, mind you she can cut the genre to pieces
with great ease, she is so damned soulful
that it makes no difference and she is well
at home appearing at a 'Blues Festival'.
far more so than some of the acts that have
been touted as headliners at many of the
'Blues Festivals' around the country in recent
years.
From the opening strains of Without You Here you realise just how special she is. This
beautiful and soulful ballad just makes you
want more and is a perfect opener for what
follows.
Next up is Stay which starts off sweetly and tenderly and
builds to almost crescendic proportions showing
the full stretch this wonderful singer has
on tap.
This followed by Through The Fire for which
Gail was awarded the 'CHAIN' for Female Vocalist of the Year. Personally, I would have given it to her
for any of them - she's that good.
Next we have the potentially autobiographical
Listening To Me and as Gail sings, "I'm no longer in
possession, I made my own decision!"
Then we boogie to Shape I'm In which gave her the award for New Talent of the Year and shows her in 'blues mode' for what is possibly the only time on the
album.
You Can Hear It sounds to me very much like a 'groove' thing that the band happened on in the
studio and is very spontaneous in its sound
and approach.
Tonight is yet another of those beautiful and very
soulful ballads of loss that Gail sings so
well.
From here we go to the final three songs
on the album. Those written by Bill White and Nicol Walkem - Gecko Moon, Second Chances and So Scared.
All appear to have very strong Koori connections
in many more ways than the sounds of Mark
Atkins' didgeridoo on Gecko Moon. Second Chances seems to be an ode to a mother who was part
of the 'Stolen Generation'. Perhaps former
PM John Howard should listen to it and take
note of the sentiment expressed. Gail takes
So Scared and makes it very much her own
to finish off what is a truly superb album.
As I said earlier, three awards were bestowed
on what, for me at least, has become a favourite
album. Two of these I've already mentioned
earlier, but the third is also most deserving
because Parris McLeod picked up the gong
for Producer of the Year and he did, it must be said, a great job.
Apart from Gail (lead vocals) and Parris
(piano/Hammond organ) the remainder of the
band reads like a who's who of Aussie Blues,
Jazz and Rock musics. We have Gordon Rytmeister
(drums) who has played with the legendary
Don Burrows among others, Leon Gaer (bass)
a fixture at the Professional Musicians Club
in Sydney for many years, David Longo (guitar/'Dobro'),
Tessa Nuku (backing vocals), Peter Collins
(harmonica), Malcolm Eastick (guitar) a true
legend of Aussie Rock and Blues and the previously
named Mark Atkins (didgeridoo) who is also
a member of Parris and Pu-Yu's 'The Reason
To Believe' band who play music of a very
different flavour venturing into Folk, Classical
and Jazz areas.
Is the album worth buying? In my own opinion
for what it's worth - most definitely.
Whether you're a fan of Blues or not doesn't
even enter the equation. Gail is a truly
great singer in anybody's language and deserves
to be heard by everyone at every opportunity
that arises.
Copies can be had by contacting Parris McLEOD at Cloud Studios
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