Now Spinning 3/26/2020: Gary Clark Jr. "This Land", 2019
- Dakota Kahler
- Mar 26, 2020
- 2 min read
Introducing Gary Clark Jr., a powerful, genre deifying guitarist and his latest album "This Land". Once again, my best friend Jake put me onto Gary when he moved down to Austin, the land where Gary once roamed the street as a young and hopeful blues guitarist. I was initially blown away with the playing ability of Gary, as it is face-melting, jaw dropping, and knee buckling. You feel his guitar take over your body and sweep you off your feet, he commands respect and attention as he performs. I then felt a deeper appreciation for his lyrical content and songwriting ability.
Although once categorized as a blues musician, "This Land" sees that title be discarded as Gary dips his toes into the waters of reggae, punk, blues, jazz, and pop, among others. There are so many different influences on this album that you can tell Gary is not only a fine player of music, but also a connoisseur. The album kicks off with namesake song "This Land" and is introduced with deep, pounding bass. Thematically, it illustrates a true situation Gary found himself in with prejudiced neighbor Mr. Williams. Gary owns a large acreage in Texas, and his neighbor thought that Gary was intruding on the land, an obvious racist remark based purely on the color of his skin. This devastating occurrence fueled Gary's fire and is the underlying concept of this album.
When i first heard "Pearl Cadillac" after it came out as a single for the album, one could have mistaken it for a long lost Prince song. The track, written out of appreciation for Gary's mom, has an unmistakeable Prince feeling to it. This solidified my love for Gary, and proved the capabilities of the young musician.
I got the opportunity to see Gary perform live last summer with Jake, and it changed my life. The show was electric from start to end, and his stage presence is unmatched. Jake and I were right against the barricade dead center, so we had the best seats in the house. After the show he descended off the stage and handed Jake his guitar slide. After the show, we stuck around for a bit to talk to a few of his backing musicians, who are equally incredible. We were headed back to the car when backstage we could see Gary and the crew hanging out, so naturally we ventured back there. We shook his hand, expressed our love for his music, and thanked him for the incredible show. He told us thank you as it means a lot to hear that. It is not everyday you meet a musician as cool, down to earth, and talented as Gary, and I know I will never forget that experience I had the pleasure of sharing with my best friend.
If you haven't already, listen to "This Land". It will blow your mind and change your life as it did mine. 11/10 album
Cheers
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