It is fair to say that there are few places on the musical map that Gary Dranow hasn’t explored, both with and without his regular sonic cohorts and musical collaborators, The Manic Emotions in tow. But if there is one place that he calls home, a place where he seems to return to most often, it is that part of the musical landscape where blues and classic rock, roots grooves, and southern licks all merge and meet. And it is in such creative realms that we find him as he gives us the title track of his brand new concept album Masked Facade.
Here, he takes the band through their paces, calling the shots of slinky blues runs and brooding bass lines, solid backbeats, and his own expressive, not to mention impressive, vocals. This is home ground, familiar territory indeed, and they do it so well.
Matching the dexterity of the music is the deftness of the lyrics. Here, Gary regales us with the story of a man whose life is an ongoing struggle between two versions of himself – as the lyrics tell us, Patrick, the charmer, doing deals and winning people over, and Brian, the hidden, darker counterpart who then takes advantage of the work done, a chance to bear his teeth, cash in and clear up.
A lot of clever music passes my way, but it is always great when you see the Jungian principle of duality played out in music, reminding us that even this tried and tested genre, when in the right hands, can be the smartest kid in the rock and roll block. Gary Dranow and the boys are, without doubt, the right hands.
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