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REVIEWS

Gary Nicholson—Common Sense—Qualified Records

Gary is a veteran songwriter with Hall of Fame and Grammy
awards to his name. Here he creates twelve numbers
bemoaning the current political atmosphere in America.

Gary takes lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, with a core
band of Kevin Mckendree on piano and organ, Jim Hoke;
harmonica, Dobro, steel, acoustic guitars and saxophones,
James Pennebaker, electric and acoustic guitars, Lynn Williams;

drums and Mike Joyce; bass. There are echoes of The Band and
of Bill Wymans’ Rhythm Kings, infused within a relaxed air of
Americana.

The opener, ‘What A Little Love Can Do’, is a stirring, swinging roller with an understated
harmonica and percussion leading the way, while the organ steals a lovely solo. ‘Bob Dylan
Whiskey’, possesses a sweetly picked slide guitar with splendid echoes of the band as the piano
and percussion sway us along.

On ‘The Truth About A Lie’, a rich, wistful guitar and a gently bubbling, singing organ, opens the
wound. ‘Make Good Trouble’, is a laidback, gently grooving swinger with splendidly upbeat
brushwork and enticingly mellow gospel-like backing vocals.

‘Everybody’, injects us with a sixties revivalist feel, the swinging acoustic guitar and gently
punching, gnawing harmonica driving you on.

‘We Don’t Talk About It’, is a gentle, harmonica infused, back porch tale of simply not talking about
anything, while ‘Follow The Money’ has enticingly sleazy slide, horns and piercing organ on this
slowburn cash trail. The song ‘Worry Be Gone’, is an understated harmonica and piano led
grooving roller and the slowburner, ‘All That Makes Me Happy Is The Blues’, combines a richly
singeing guitar and organ.

The gently picked acoustic piece, ‘Common Sense’, states the obvious, while, ‘Woody’s Dream’, is
a rousing acoustic and harmonica led piece suggesting that the rich do the fighting.

Lastly, ‘There’s No Them’, is a melancholy, plaintive piano piece, urging unity.
Recommended!

Brian Harman

Cedar County Cobras—Homesick Blues—Independent
Release www.cedarcountycobras.com

Nowadays, Traditional acoustic blues seems to have faded into
the background, but this album is a timely reminder of how
good the blues was and still is today, without electricity.

Tom Spielbauer, who plays guitar and percussion, is from Iowa,
he has been playing blues and rock across Iowa and the Midwest
for over twenty years. Tom was diagnosed with advanced
macular degeneration at a young age and was declared legally
blind, since then he has taken to the road playing the blues along