|
new dog, old
tricks
“New
Dog, Old Tricks”
recaptures and reinvents two songs
co-written with ex-bandmate Scott Melott. Look for a hauntingly
desperate but utterly timely delivery of “Miles
City,” a song so
cloaked in despair
that it clings to the listener long past the last note. The frustrated
communicator comes out in
“Walls Come Down,”
a
moody piece with a pop/rock edge.Both songs represent the versatility
of Gibson’s songwriting prowess and underscore the
“huge
emotional growth” she’s undergone since the
Groobees
disbanded. “New
Dog, Old Tricks”
reflects what others will say has been a circuitous route to her own
good fortune, but Gibson has gotten there, nonetheless, and listeners
will be thankful for it.
Along with
the reclamation of her Groobee words, she’s included
co-writes
with Adam Carroll and Mark Jungers (“Start
Over,”)
as well as Maureen Ennis and Mark Murphy (“What’d
I
Ever Worry ‘Bout Before I Met You.”)
Either track
could drop as a single, but the first one rocks in hard, and the
latter, lullabies a listener out. While you could probably
find
either one on the local juke box, don’t expect to hear
Gibson’s only new solo writing effort on this disc there. “Baby
Teeth” is Gibson in
her resplendent simplicity and one
should instead look for this song to crack the kiddie-sing-along noise
barrier with its pop merriment and baby-boomers-with-babies appeal
while it takes a few old timers to their knees in a Farmer’s
Almanac
faint.
Gibson’s
co-write with Houston’s TC Smythe,
“Jezable’s
Lament,” is fitting
testimony to her long-time roadie and
virtual sidekick, Jezable the Dog, who recently died of old age. “New
Dog, Old Tricks”
is Gibson’s nod to
Jezable’s service in the music industry, and to the two road
hounds that recently replaced her, Guilda and Nick, who not only
“keep the crazies away,” according to Gibson, but
lately
have been “better about” not chewing up her stuff.
(Well,
until just recently. Check out the right toe of Gibson’s
favorite
cowboy boots.) Gibson’s canine companions are rescue dogs,
and
fittingly enough, a portion of this record’s proceeds will
benefit the non-profit and its as-of-yet not-adopted population of
rescued pets.
“New
Dog, Old Tricks”
is also about Gibson’s
affinity for words: all of the songs are songs Gibson plays at her
shows. Gibson’s older fans have long demanded a revisit of
the
older stuff, and the newer fans wanted access to the records that even
she no longer had access to. Gibson addressed both issues with “New
Dog, Old Tricks”
and the resulting musical
collaboration is what Gibson originally envisioned with her songs,
making the project all that much sweeter.
Under the
production helm of Walt Wilkins and Tim Lorsch, the new record features
legendary drummer Paul Pearcy, the incomparable Michael
O’Connor
(along with Gabe Rhodes in a fiery double-lead guitar role) and John
Greenburg on baritone guitar. David Carroll joins them on bass, and
Lorsch also appears on the violin, lowboy, and mandolin. All of it is
recorded at the Zone, a top-rated studio tucked in the sleepy hill
country hamlet of Dripping Springs.
Hence, a solo
project as much about money and marketing as it is about who Gibson was
and who she is today: a singer, a songwriter, a musician, a manager, a
booking agent, a roadie, an accountant, and more. Susan Gibson is the
quintessential entrepreneur in a global market, yet she is her own
product and service. Gibson is the whole package, and her performances
are empowering, because with the release of
“New Dog,
Old Tricks”
Gibson has shown us the real dichotomy
of a songwriter: Gibson has shown us what it means to get some pieces
of our self back while still willing to keep giving other pieces away.
|
Susan
Gibson's "Wide Open Spaces" was a massive hit for the Dixie Chicks and
her platinum calling card to fame. Last year's Outer Space
re-established the Austin area resident in the ranks of popular
singer-songwriters and reaffirmed her determined direction down
heartfelt highways. –
Margaret Moser - Austin Chronicle
"...singer
Susan Gibson’s growl grabs you in a headlock and
doesn’t
let go ... She has the intensity of steel-lunged belters such as Joan
Osborne or Beth Hart, although, unlike them, she keeps her voice firmly
tethered to the song..." - Marc
Rigrodsky, SoundStage! Magazine
"...Ms.
Gibson...possesses clear, crisp, bold pipes. Her vocals have a rough
edge that is tempered by a potent sense of melody. When she sings, you
can see her body surge with energy. She's pulsating with every word."
- Mario Tarradell, Dallas Morning News
|
