Gordy Hunt is a 70s-style classic progressive rock artist and veteran musician, singer and songwriter. He has returned to the label where it all began in 1982′ with a brand new record entitled Seniority! The new record brings the listener up to speed on where he gas been, where he is now and points the arrow to show us where he is going with 12 new tracks of original music about life, love and experience. By the end of the record, there will be know doubt, Gordy has earned his seniority as an artist and a musician! As a bonus there are two tracks added from very early in Gordy’s career that set the tone for his musical journey that was yet to come! Seniority CD music contains a single disc with 14 songs. Purchase link for Seniority
The CD kicks things off with slow burning groove” Looking Forward to Your Love” a upbeat intro piece that serves-up driving rhythms, up-beat vocal melody accompanied by inviting solo guitar, R&B style guitar licks. Track 2 “Lady in the Lenz” shifts gears a bit with its impressive musicianship, against well placed piano, vocal harmonies against a grand slam chorus. Track 3 “Ice Cream Heartache” delivers jumpy moving ditty with well-placed vocal melody, dynamic musical flow and thought provoking lyrical content that flows and ebbs its way through to musical fruition. As the CD slowly unfolds you will notice a lot of musical variety from these guys reminiscent of classic Bob Dylan, Dr. John, The Band, Leon Russell, Elton John, Super Tramp, Rare Earth, Lil Feat, Grateful Dead and Manfred Mann. First the music itself has a lot of vocal originality and possesses a psychedelic 70’s rock persona. The CD offers a rich melodic vocal foundation and lush layers of instrumentation. I would classify this music as classic 70’s Psychedelic Rock, R&B, Soul Rock and even Jam Band with a strong emphasis on vocal harmonies and good songwriting and superb musicianship. All in all the CD has some truly impressive moments on it showcasing amazing playing, dynamic arrangements, and wire arrangement of instrumentation. Besides the standard 4 piece delivery you will also notice brief splashes of well-placed harmonies, and solo guitar, saxophone, slide guitar, percussive accents and well placed R&B guitar layered within the music. As far as vocal abilities, Hunt brings the mojo and lets it all hang out with a lot of groove-ability and more than enough soul to go around. His voice works well across the board possessing a vocal swagger reminiscent of classic Dr. John, with just a splash of Joe Cocker and Randy Newman. Hunt’s voice fits this style of music perfectly. Hunt clearly demonstrates a strong and confident vocal ability as he takes many impressive vocal risks along the way. All production aspects check out as the CD has solid low end groove and crystal clear high end clarity. Hunt deserves a lot of credit for being a musical mastermind. Hunt plays guitar and sings. Hunt deserves a lot of credit from bringing this all together. Make no bones about it folks it took a lot of work to put this CD in my hands. From heartfelt “Out of Love With You” and “Mr. and Mrs. Greene” to psychedelic “Face on Mars” to the rocking “Love Circus” to grooving “Mary Lynn” this CD has something for just about everyone. The CD ends with Track 12 “November Man” the perfect faille statement for a CD of this caliber.
All songs over 3.5 minutes tend to drag you to cross the finish line. This CD is strongly consistent but reminds me of music popular over 30+ years ago. Some of this effects the CD’s overall marketability.
In closing Gordy Hunt’s latest effort “Seniority” is just a blast to listen to and is a strong musical production from start to finish. The music is highly original, extremely melodic with amazing writing and playing from all involved. As the CD progressed I became more and more impressed with it. Because of the influences I would say the flower children who like Elton John and Dr. John. will love this one. The musicianship is first rate, the songs are quite dynamic and in extend play format many will enjoy. Each song possesses a unique personality, flair, and signature groove. Lastly – the writing and singing abilities of Gordy Hunt pretty much delivers the goods.
Purchase Link: http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=9924157
~Cyrus Rhodes
Artist: Gordy Hunt
Album: Seniority
Label: Independent Artist
Website/CD BABY: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/gordyhuny
Genre: R&B, Psychedelic Rock, Soul Rock, Progressive Rock
Sounds Like: Elton John, Dr. John, Bob Dylan, The Band, Leon Russell, Super Tramp, Rare Earth, Lil Feat, Grateful Dead, Manfred Mann
Technical Grade: 8/10
Production/Musicianship Grade: 8/10
Commercial Value: 7/10
Overall Talent Level: 9/10
Songwriting Skills: 9/10
Performance Skill: 8/10
Best Songs: Seniority, Love Circus, Lady in the Lenz, Michigan Love
Weakness: Marketability, Dated Sound, Winded Songs
