Anything that echoes with even the merest hint of Tom Petty can only be a good thing. Right? Why wouldn’t it be? He and his heartbreaking sonic acolytes, after all, perfectly blended the familiar sounds of heartland rock and roll with fresh songwriting chops, blurred generic lines, and left us with an impressive back catalog of songs. Even if the vibes found on Dan Gober’s latest single lean more towards his pop-americana-infused solo sound, it is fine by me. More than fine.
But maybe I’m making too much of the Petty connection; “Lucky Son of a Gun” is far from plagiaristic or plundering of that sound. But such a reference just makes a functional sound bite and starting point.
What “Lucky Son of a Gun” is, though, is one of those songs that sounds like a classic from the first time you hear it, something from the great American songbook, a song that has been playing in the not-too-distant background all your life. It’s the perfect blend of gentle rock drive and folky finesse, coupled with a southern, bluesy groove and instant contagion.
But then, it comes as little surprise to find that Dan Gober, along with his collaborator Buddy Sweets, has been doing this for a long time, and it shows in the song. They understand the need to serve the song rather than their egos; they understand exactly what the job of the song and the songwriter is. The result is a song that isn’t flashy, is unaffected by ego or showboating, and which has no extraneous sonic fat on the bone. Or, as their mantra goes, “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus!”
Bore us? Nothing could be farther from the truth.
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