Indonesia??!!! Holy crap, I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of any rockers from Indonesia! Japan, China, North Korea and even Singapore, but never Indonesia. Well, there’s a first for everything. I must say if I didn’t know I’d never have guessed it. The far east musicians often have a special touch, at least to their vocals. Gugun, however, sounds perfectly westernized. Well, sounding westernized is no proof of quality however. I’m therefore happy to say, Gugun passes my quality approval test flying colours! This is no holds barred, guitar driven, balls out blues rock leaning on the heritage of Hendrix, Vaughan, Gallagher and Bolin. Gugun is a outstanding player with a great tone, outstanding feeling and great technique. I really love his style of playing, even though it may not bring anything new and revolutionary. If you’ve got IT, you don’t need to. He’s got a solid, great pair of backing musicians in bass player Jono and drummer Bowie that really bring the goods. “Turn It On” is a prime example of a power trio working in perfect unison, with a guitarist rocking it out and a rhythm unit filling up every crack and crevice. Awesome stuff indeed! Gugun has really succeeded in bringing up a classic genre and giving it a new spin, writing songs that rejuvenates the legacy of the aforementioned kings. I truly LOVE the way he grooves in songs like “Fallin’ Down”. It’s impossible to sit still on your arse. This rocks, big time! Gugun is also a very fitting singer for this genre. Great bluesy vibe and the perfect roughness. I can’t find any bad tracks whatsoever on this album. It’s solid as a rock from start to finish. It also has a nice blend of various styles within the blues rock territory, from the funky vibe of “Spinnin’ Around Me” and “Emptiness”, to the “Little Wing” style softness of “Holding On”, the Stevie Ray:esque “Move On” to the raw heavy jams of “White Dog Jam”. A highly recommended gem!
Janne Stark
Label: Grooveyard Records (http://www.grooveyardrecords.com/)
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Janne Stark
Label: Grooveyard Records (http://www.grooveyardrecords.com/)
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Never listened to this CD but i've listened to gugun's playing on youtube. I must say that he might have the best blues style playing technique i have ever heard. His playing can be very wild/full of energy and still very fluent at the same time. I think that technically he passes even srv although he is using much thinner string gauge that makes his sound less powerfull. What a vibrato technique and what a sense of rhythm he has..
ReplyDeletethank God. Finally, our voices has been heard. i'm an Indonesian international relation student and i'm a huge fan of Gugun Power Trio-which is actually named their selves Gugun Blues Shelter first-. They're gonna play in my campus, and it's really exciting to read what a review 'bout GBS. Of course we have many great bands. Come visit us, dude! We have more than music here. Thanks a bunch!
ReplyDeleteanyway, listen to set my soul on fire too, it's great!