“Grit” – Gordie Tentrees & Jaxon Haldane
Welcome to 2019. Here’s the first album review of the year for you.
Listening to Gordie Tentrees’ studio output, it always struck me that there was something missing; I couldn’t quite commit to the albums. It appears that many fans of Gordie and Jaxon Haldane’s live shows thought the same, repeatedly asking for an album that was more representative of the live experience. The result was “Grit”, recorded over five separate gigs in five different venues and it’s fair to say I’m convinced now. The press release warns that ‘All songs contain GRIT. The essential ingredient to overcoming adversity’, or, alternatively, the difference between an oyster and a pearl.
The pair function as writing collaborators as well as duo performers, with a couple of their co-writes, “Grit” and “Junior” featuring on the album in addition to a brace of Tentrees/Fred Eaglesmith songs and a number of Gordie Tentrees solo efforts.
The most astonishing aspect of “Grit” is the variety. The variety of instruments featured (ten between the two players, including the musical saw) and the variety and breadth of the songwriting, which ranges from the social satire of “Craft Beards and Man Buns”, dispensing fashion victim advice to the younger generation, to the moving (but still humorous) account of Gordie’s marriage. There are also a couple of sideswipes at some of the characters that travelling musicians meet along the way. “Sideman Blues” takes aim fair and square at songwriters who are propped up on the road by sidemen who receive little or no credit and not much more reward and, incidentally features some phenomenal playing from both Gordie and Jaxon.
And my favourite song? It’s a two-way choice between the aforementioned “Lost” and the profoundly moving and ultimately uplifting road burn-out song “Junior”. Either one works for me.
It’s a pretty good start to 2019. It’s an album that captures Gordie and Jaxon doing what they do best; performing. They cover all bases instrumentally, melodically and lyrically and do it with a great sense of joy.
“Grit” is released on Friday January 11, 2019 on Greywood Records.
You can find out for yourself how good they are at any of these UK tour dates:
JANUARY
Wed 30
Thu 31 |
London
South Molton, nr. Barnstaple |
What’s Cookin’@ Leytonstone Ex-Servicemens Club
The Plough Hotel |
FEBRUARY
Fri 1 |
Wellington, nr. Taunton |
The Beambridge Inn |
Sat 2 | Worth Matravers, nr. Swanage | The Square & Compass |
Sun 3 | Worth Matravers, nr. Swanage | The Square & Compass NB. Matinee Show |
Mon 4 | Brighton | The Greys |
Tue 5 | Bangor, North Wales | Blue Sky Café |
Wed 6 | Southport | Grateful Fred’s at The Atkinson |
Thu 7 | Stroud | The Subscription Rooms |
Fri 8 | East Barsham , Norfolk | The Moonshine Club, East Barsham Village Hall |
Sat 9 | York | House Concerts York |
Sun 10 | Coldingham, Scottish Borders | Coldingham Village Hall |
Mon 11 | Glasgow | The Doublet |
Tue 12 | Dundee | Gardyne Theatre |
Wed 13 | Kelso, Scottish Borders | The Tipsy Ghillie |
Thu 14 | Edinburgh | The Bluebird Cafe |
Fri 15 | Alford, Aberdeenshire | Piggery-Smokery |
Sat 16 | Aberdeen | The Blue Lamp |
Sun 17 | Biggar, South Lanarkshire | The Wee Gig, Arcadia Music Cafe |