John Garr thrills on rocking blues album ‘331′
Reviewed by Carson James
John Garr/331
“It’s still rock and roll to me,” Billy Joel once sang. That’s the kind of attitude that singer/songwriter John Garr seems to have on 331, an album that excitedly shifts from the blues to rock and roll to jazz, all on the same record. There was once a time when musicians were expected to be this versatile, to have talent that can cross over barriers. Because, when you really think about it, those genres all borrow from each other, all originating from the same creative impulses. When Garr wants to rock, he certainly does; on “Till the Sun Comes Up” and “Que Pasa,” Garr captures the freewheeling spirit of ’50s and ’60s rock, making them fresh again with his lively vocal performances. But it’s rock and roll that is based in the blood of the blues.
As a pure bluesman, Garr has the right licks; no doubt about it. Listening to the red-hot riffs of “I Get It From You” is like swallowing the strongest spice in one gulp; it’ll kick you in the balls and make you feel alive. “So Unkind” recalls the mid-’80s comeback of Eric Clapton with its coat of AOR studio polish; it also has some of Garr’s finest singing on the CD.
