Although it is not about where you have been but about where you are going, a brief look at George Marinelli’s resume reveals him to have moved in some rarefied circles. And still moving in them. Not only a founder member of Bruce Hornsby & The Range but he has been Bonnie Raitt’s right-hand man for the past thirty years, not to mention releasing a string of solo albums, numerous production credits and being a go-to session player. I say all this to point out that anyone who has walked such a path clearly knows what they are doing. Then again, one spin of his latest album Except Always will have you drawing the same conclusion anyway.
This double album kicks off with a great statement of intent, “I Don’t Have The Blues” being a brilliant flip on your standard blues narrative; here, optimism rules the roost rather than the melancholy that usually pervades through the genre. It is an attitude and optimism which runs through much of his work. The title track is like a pop version of a Stones single, and “Dear Boy” soulfully grooves like an old Santana record.
And I picked this opening triptych to demonstrate just how varied George’s repertoire is. Sure, a bluesy vibe runs through almost everything found here, but like all great players, he pushes that through soul, rock, reggae, funk, pop and more to explore the sonic pastures, test the generic boundaries, hop them, and then push on, and in doing so, create a wonderful signature sound.
With the first album made up of all new material and its accompanying platter being a seventeen-song career retrospective, whether you are new to George Marinelli’s music or looking for a cool compilation of his finest moments from past albums, then this is for you. It is not just a great brace of albums but a masterclass in songwriting and an awesome display of guitar skills.
