GREGORY HOSKINS & GARY CRAIG –
THE MAP OF ABOVE
THE MAP BELOW
2013 – Self
Released
Although familiar with the name, I had never knowingly heard any of Gregory Hoskins music prior to this album. Throughout the 1990s he led his Canadian folk rock band ‘Gregory Hoskins and the Stick People’ with three albums and then went solo in 2001, with this new recording, as far as I’ve been able to ascertain being his fourth in that time. I was totally unfamiliar with Gary Craig although it seems, thanks to his excellence on drums and percussion, that he has played with just about everyone on the Canadian roots music scene and is still very much in demand.
You might think that drums, guitar and voice is not the ideal set up, but in this case you’d be wrong. Hoskins possesses vocals that are at times not dissimilar to a soulful Paul Simon and with his tremendous guitar playing and Gary Craig’s drums and percussion (and very little else) giving the album a lovely clear, clean sound that serves to emphasize the vocals and storyline. All of the beautifully conceived songs have strong melodies, to such a degree that even the percussion adds to the melodic appeal rather than just being used to underpin everything, although it does this brilliantly and is always strongly supportive of Hoskins vocal and that tremendous guitar sound. There are occasional female backing vocals from Lisa Hodgson, a little harmonica and trumpet, but all are used sparingly and just add a little coloration, simply because with vocals, guitar and percussion of this quality little else is needed. Whilst the pace never gets above mid tempo it is non the less varied with a nice blend of textures and atmospheres, bringing a reflective haunting feel to much of the proceedings. Generically it is almost impossible to tie down, having at times a jazzy feel, at others elements of the blues, even a little country and yet there is nothing that pins the music to any particular sub genre. The production and separation of instruments is excellent, bringing a little sheen to these songs that reflect on life’s simplicity.
The songs are all written by Gregory Hoskins, who along with Craig arranged and produced this excellent recording. The album opens with Providence Line, driven by the always solid percussion that underpins everything, with the lovely warm melodic guitar on an excellent, slightly eerie mid tempo song that has a nice haunting edge. We’re treated to more tuneful guitar on There Will Be Good Days, this time dirtied up a little, with the usual solid percussion supported by harmonica on an excellent song about lifes trials and tribulations and being true to oneself. It’s Always Something is probably the fieriest composition on the album with a hard driving percussion and an often angry sounding vocal giving the whole song a seemingly intentional air of frustration. The vocals and melodic guitar propel the song on relentlessly, sometimes with a clanging percussiveness and at others beautifully melodic. Porn Stars contains some beautiful, gently melodic guitar and excellent drum sound on a slow moody story about the darker side of life although hope is never lost entirely on this gritty tale that includes the line from which the album takes it’s title. The album finishes with Surgery a strange brooding love song that has a slightly discordant feel giving it a deep compelling atmosphere.
The only way an album of this minimal instrumental and vocal blend can be made successfully is if the musicians involved are highly skilled. It is fortunate that this pairing has skill to burn on this excellent and unusual album.
http://gregoryhoskins.com/
Although familiar with the name, I had never knowingly heard any of Gregory Hoskins music prior to this album. Throughout the 1990s he led his Canadian folk rock band ‘Gregory Hoskins and the Stick People’ with three albums and then went solo in 2001, with this new recording, as far as I’ve been able to ascertain being his fourth in that time. I was totally unfamiliar with Gary Craig although it seems, thanks to his excellence on drums and percussion, that he has played with just about everyone on the Canadian roots music scene and is still very much in demand.
You might think that drums, guitar and voice is not the ideal set up, but in this case you’d be wrong. Hoskins possesses vocals that are at times not dissimilar to a soulful Paul Simon and with his tremendous guitar playing and Gary Craig’s drums and percussion (and very little else) giving the album a lovely clear, clean sound that serves to emphasize the vocals and storyline. All of the beautifully conceived songs have strong melodies, to such a degree that even the percussion adds to the melodic appeal rather than just being used to underpin everything, although it does this brilliantly and is always strongly supportive of Hoskins vocal and that tremendous guitar sound. There are occasional female backing vocals from Lisa Hodgson, a little harmonica and trumpet, but all are used sparingly and just add a little coloration, simply because with vocals, guitar and percussion of this quality little else is needed. Whilst the pace never gets above mid tempo it is non the less varied with a nice blend of textures and atmospheres, bringing a reflective haunting feel to much of the proceedings. Generically it is almost impossible to tie down, having at times a jazzy feel, at others elements of the blues, even a little country and yet there is nothing that pins the music to any particular sub genre. The production and separation of instruments is excellent, bringing a little sheen to these songs that reflect on life’s simplicity.
The songs are all written by Gregory Hoskins, who along with Craig arranged and produced this excellent recording. The album opens with Providence Line, driven by the always solid percussion that underpins everything, with the lovely warm melodic guitar on an excellent, slightly eerie mid tempo song that has a nice haunting edge. We’re treated to more tuneful guitar on There Will Be Good Days, this time dirtied up a little, with the usual solid percussion supported by harmonica on an excellent song about lifes trials and tribulations and being true to oneself. It’s Always Something is probably the fieriest composition on the album with a hard driving percussion and an often angry sounding vocal giving the whole song a seemingly intentional air of frustration. The vocals and melodic guitar propel the song on relentlessly, sometimes with a clanging percussiveness and at others beautifully melodic. Porn Stars contains some beautiful, gently melodic guitar and excellent drum sound on a slow moody story about the darker side of life although hope is never lost entirely on this gritty tale that includes the line from which the album takes it’s title. The album finishes with Surgery a strange brooding love song that has a slightly discordant feel giving it a deep compelling atmosphere.
The only way an album of this minimal instrumental and vocal blend can be made successfully is if the musicians involved are highly skilled. It is fortunate that this pairing has skill to burn on this excellent and unusual album.
http://gregoryhoskins.com/