GRUESOME GALORE (Gracious Living) CD
I always got an wide open heart for bands that are far away from musical trends, and so it's with GRUESOME GALORE, which are led by singer/songwriter Adam Mackintosh. It's not easy to pigeonhole their sound, but while listening to the album names like early David Bowie, Gentle Giant or later Beatles are still on my mind. All songs are very emotional and mostly introspective, but sometimes added with a hard rocking edge. The melancholic resonance of Mackintosh' voice and his crystalline guitar playing are complimented by the well-tempered organ sound of David Graham and a soulful rolling rythm section. GRUESOME GALORE got an excellent sense for fine pop hooks, without changing into a cheesy direction, and the few hard guitar outbursts adding a stronger intensity to the album.
But the band's mesh does contain also a bit of Soul and Gospel, and for me "Gracious Living" is a perfect album if one feel's burned out and sad, and needs to think about further ways of living. And the band doesn't leaves you alone with your worries. It's more like a good friend, who lifts you up and gives you a helping hand. "Gracious Living" is a beautiful piece of work, and it belongs to the sort of album which are growing better and better with every listen. If you're looking for an alternative I like to recommend this band to you
(KK)