CD Review
Terry Garland
Out Where The Blue Begins
(Planetary Records - 9030, 2001)
by Craig Ruskey
Review date: March 2002
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Keeping the Blues Alive Award Winner: Achievement for Blues on the Internet.
Presented by the Blues Foundation
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As with Terry Garland's previous releases, the recent "Out Where The Blue Begins" is loaded with Delta-influenced slide guitar, plus a few twists and turns along the way. This is mostly a back-porch affair where two friends sit across from each other; one armed with a National steel, the other blowing unamplified harmonica. Leading off with "Dude Boy Boogie," Mark Wenner contributes his tasteful harp, as he does on much of this disc, and Garland tackles the electric guitar, which he hasn't done in far too long a spell. Johnny Winter's "Dallas" retains the flavor of the original where Terry's gruff vocals sound eerily close to the Texan, and Wenner returns for "Poor Boy Blues," a tough and truthful original. "Champagne and Reefer," a track from Muddy's later years, is potent and finds Wenner adding some of his finest work, next to his chromatic excellence on "Going Home," where Garland adds his percussive guitar work and trademark foot stomps. Muddy's "Can't Be Satisfied" shows up and while this version won't make anyone forget the insistence Waters played with on the Aristocrat recording, the humorous, good-time approach here works remarkably well. "My Baby Left Town" has a Jimmy Reed flavor all over it, which is due in part to the repetitive guitar, and just as much to Wenner's high-register blowing, while the 1920's speakeasy feel of the title track with its muted horns sits comfortably among the set. Robert Johnson's "Dust My Broom" closes out the disc on a solid note, leaving only the two non-blues cuts. The air of devotion which surrounds "Courtesy Of Love" is inspired and honest, but the small drawback is Garland's voice, which doesn't work incredibly well in the ballad department. "Running Back To You" works a little better, but still isn't the strongest hand at the table when looking at the cards dealt earlier. Terry Garland, whose tenure on the blues scene rivals any performer in his age bracket, is a breath of fresh air when he offers up his earthy Delta-laced guitar, and even when he doesn't, his determination to stretch the boundaries of his soul will make one notice. "Out Where The Blue Begins" might be a Terry Garland CD, but the closeness shared by the two main artists here makes this a collaborative effort in every sense. Websites are: www.planetaryrecords.com and www.terrygarland.com for more information.
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