Eric Gales – The Bookends (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 50:34 minutes | 592 MB | Genre: Blues
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Provogue
On 8th February 2019, Eric Gales returns with his brand new album ‘The Bookends’ on Provogue/Mascot Label Group and it features collaborations with B. Slade and Provogue artists Doyle Bramhall II and Beth Hart. The challenge for making ‘The Bookends’ was for Gales to challenge himself. “As a guitar player it’s been established that I can play a little bit, just a little bit,” he smiles. But for this album he not only wanted to push himself as a musician, but also as a vocalist, to build up his vocal discography. Gales’ story is an incredible one, he was a child prodigy and released his debut album The Eric Gales Band in 1991 as a 16 year old on Elektra Records. It was the first of 10 albums on a major label through a blistering career. He has released 15 studio albums in total ahead of ‘The Bookends’ and a host of other collaborations. He has battled drink and drug issues and spent time in jail in 2009 for possession of drugs and a weapon. Gales proudly tells his story every night before every show, now over two years sober he is creating some of the most breath-taking music he has ever made. If his previous album ‘Middle of the Road’ was the rebirth of Eric Gales, then ‘The Bookends’ is him knocking away his boundaries and taking flight on a voyage of self-discovery asking himself what do you think you can do and pushing that into the stratosphere.
Eric Gales spent a good portion of his career in the wilderness — chalk it up to a combination of bad breaks and addiction — but he came storming back in 2017 with Middle of the Road, his first album for Provogue/Mascot Records. Peaking at four on the Billboard Blues chart, Middle of the Road brought Gales back in a big way, giving him the confidence to push himself on its 2019 sequel Bookends. Working with producer Matt Wallace — a stalwart of ’90s alt-rock who worked with Maroon 5 after spending time with the Replacements and Faith No More — Gales doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but he does place a greater emphasis on singing and song than he has in the past. It’s a subtle but notable difference, one that helps Bookends feel fuller and sharper than many of Gales’ past albums and one that also accentuates the recovery undercurrents that flow through the album. By the time he teams up with guest vocalist Beth Hart for a slow-burning version of “With a Little Help from My Friends” — the second notable cameo on the record, following Doyle Bramhall II’s appearance on the neo-autobiographical epic “Southpaw Serenade” — it’s clear that Gales has managed to give not only familiar tunes but familiar blues-rock forms an identifiable stamp, born of both passion and precision. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist:
1-1. Eric Gales – Intro (01:55)
1-2. Eric Gales – Something’s Gotta Give (feat. B. Slade) (04:19)
1-3. Eric Gales – Whatcha Gon’ Do (03:27)
1-4. Eric Gales – It Just Beez That Way (04:20)
1-5. Eric Gales – How Do I Get You (04:13)
1-6. Eric Gales – Southpaw Serenade (feat. Doyle Bramhall II) (08:31)
1-7. Eric Gales – Reaching For A Change (04:49)
1-8. Eric Gales – Somebody Lied (04:02)
1-9. Eric Gales – With A Little Help From My Friends (feat. Beth Hart) (06:03)
1-10. Eric Gales – Resolution (05:05)
1-11. Eric Gales – Pedal To The Metal (feat. B. Slade) [Remix] [Bonus Track] (03:46)
