Reviews

David Gogo: Halfway To Memphis

Review by Tom Branson - BluesRocker.ws staff…
August 2001

I have made no secret of the fact that I believe that Walter Trout is the reigning king of the blues/rock guitarists. He has paid his dues, earned the respect of his peers, is recording the best material of his career, and plays live with great passion and intensity. However, as was the case with all those before him, there will come a day when he is replaced at the top of the heap. Some have left the mountain top through retirement or death while others simply lose the fire in their gut. Someday, another player will stand atop the list and I do not imagine that we have ever seen a day when there were so many potential "heir apparents". There are more gifted blues/rock artists around these

Though there is a large number of worthy future contenders for the crown, I would be hard pressed to come up with someone who has a more legitimate chance of someday reaching that apex than Canadian born blues/rock guitarist David Gogo. Gogo is an upper tier guitarist whose brand of blues/rock will hit you in the chin with the force of a Clark Kent uppercut. I first heard of his work after the release of his live Dine Under the Stars CD, which is an intense and fiery showcase of Gogo's incredible ability with six string instruments of assorted varieties. His latest release for Cordova Bay records, Halfway To Memphis is a studio recording, but still an intense one nonetheless. His music is not for "blues purists" or the faint of heart in general, but if you are a fan (like me) of aggressive blues/rock guitar, then

David Gogo in Prince George 2001 (Prince George Citizen) This latest release is the fourth for Gogo in the past 3 years, as he continues to build the kind of outstanding body of work worthly of potential future royalty. The CD is a mixture of 7 covers and 4 Gogo originals. Regardless of style or tempo, each is filled with monstrously powerful guitar and Gogo's passionate vocals, which have steadily improved with each of his releases. Take a listen to Muddy's Louisiana Blues, Eddie Hinton's (I Gotta) Testify or the Gogo original Bad Faces and you will soon understand that this is an artist who can go just about as far in this genre as any before him and perhaps someday even farther.