I just received the new David Gogo release, Christmas With The Blues, and it's really cool. Unlike many seasonal recordings where it's mostly campy redo's of traditional tracks, Gogo sets a new table with blues tracks about Christmas. Now this isn't a new concept, but one that I rarely see. This is a cd that for the most part doesn't have every familiar Christmas melody. The recording opens with a Canned Heat number, Christmas Blues. This track is given a traditional blues take and has hot guitar riffs from Gogo as well as some cool piano from David Vest. Christmas on The Bayou, a Gogo original is a funky, smokey blues jam with interlaced harp, bass, solo guitar and percussion with a spoken track over the mix. Christmas Tears is right out of the Freddie King song book and Gogo does an exemplary job on this track both with vocal and stinging guitar retort. Another Gogo original, Let's Get a Real Tree takes a Chuck Berry approach along the lines of Run Run Rudolph with some flaring rock n roll riffs. Charles Brown classic Please Come Home For Christmas gets a straight up cover with some really smooth sax work from Phil Dwyer. Gogo, sings a cool rendition of this track and lays down a nice complimentary light but tight solo. A Lieber and Stoller track, Santa Claus Is Back In Town, gets a real super blues rub and Gogo shows why he is one of the highest respected blues guitarists in the north! This is a smoker! Merry Christmas Baby, a R&B classic gets a pure R&B treatment but with a strong dose of Gogo on guitar. David has a great hand and doesn't overplay but squeezes just the right amount of blues from his instrument. The recording is completed with Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin', a Sir Mack Rice track previously recorded by Freddie King. Gogo gives it a different twist with some more adventurous soloing but keeping with the funky rhythm. This is a cd that if you want blues music any time during the year, this will work. The guitar and playing is that strong. Now if you need to hear the words and sing along...it's a seasonal recording and one that will keep the blues flowing.
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This video is not from the cd but none were available so if you are unfamiliar with Gogo's work...here's a taste!
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