Glen David Andrews

00:00 April 11, 2014
By: 2Fik
glen-david-andrews redemption.
[Courtesy of Louisiana Red Hot]

From the very beginning, Glen David Andrews lets you know that this album is not just a musical experience for him, but a personal journey. It is a testament to his skill and passion that you ride the wave with him from bookend to bookend. Andrews builds off his range of his live shows and previous live recordings, by transcending the energy from those shows and turning them into pristine studio recordings. The album starts off with a jolt, with the album's opening track "NY to NOLA" (the music being written by Ben Ellman of Galactic, and the lyrics by GDA himself) starting you off rolling to the music, as Andrews croons "Life is like a mockery…keep having dreams of demons in my sleep." "Bad By Myself," a staple in many of Andrews' shows, gets beefed up with New Orleans royalty Ivan Neville sitting in and supplying guest vocals, as well as playing the Hammond organ and clavinet. In the track "Didn't It Rain," Andrews samples a Mahalia Jackson recording circa 1954, with handclapping in the background meshing perfectly with the classic tune, and GDA supplying a strong energy over the top of the track. In the track "Lower Power," Anders Osborne sits in with the group, supplying a guitar solo to the track that is one of the highlights of the album. In "Surrender," which is another staple of GDA sets, Andrews has Jamison Ross show off his chops, with Ross providing guest vocals, percussions, Hammond organ, and arranging all the vocals for the track. The track "You Don't Know" is cleaner than you'll ever hear it live, and displays the many talents of GDA, from the catchy lyrics, to the driving horns, and the electric guitar. Andrews finishes the album with Curtis Mayfield's "Something to Believe In," an appropriate punctuation to a fantastic album. Andrews makes the track his, and once the track ends you'll catch yourself singing and dancing to the album long after it goes quiet. The album is passionate and shows off Andrews' range, and leaves you wanting to see what one of the hardest working musicians in New Orleans will come up with next.

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