Sound Ground by Gary Ogan

I listened to the first minute of Sound Ground by Gary Ogan and I wondered, “Who are these guys?” As I was driving at the time, I would not discover until later that there is only one “Guy” and that is Gary himself! I never cease to be amazed with what one can do with a home studio! Gary has cranked out a very cool collection of eleven original tunes for this CD.

Let me begin by clarifying that the bass playing on this CD isn’t spectacular to a level that I am often exposed, but, Gary does a VERY respectable job of holding down the groove and getting the Bass job done. When you add to this all Gary’s’ efforts on all the other instruments (Guitars both electric and acoustic, Organ Drums etc.) and vocals (with harmony), I would invariably conclude that this veteran musician is very gifted. I was also very pleasantly surprised to learn that Gary hails from the city just across the mighty Columbia River, Portland, OR.

Meet Gary!

Lets explore some of the tunes that caught my attention.

“Showtime”, the opening tune, made me think I had found some long-lost Steely Dan track. The chromatic cord progressions, vocal quality, and the overall way the song flows made me check the CD cover in case there was some mistake. I like the B-3 Hammond compliments in this tune.

“You Found the Light” has a definite taste of Nashville; This isn’t surprising when you consider that Gary spent the late 90’s there. Very cool electric/country guitar work is weaved with the piano. I was impressed with how nicely Gary harmonizes with himself. It would be hard to find a better vocal quality. (Although Gary’s’ Band does a great job as you will hear on the video below)

“Down like You” is made of some sweet, smooth, “Guajira” groove… (I do favor the Latin rhythms!) Electric guitar licks blend in nicely with the Latin percussion and piano/keys. Seamless changes and progression kept me attent through out the entire piece.

“Grace of Love” gives us a taste of Spanish guitar from Gary. I can’t stress enough how impressed I am with Gary’s proficiency on the stringed instruments considering that I think his main area is on a keyboard.

Well, those were some of my favorite tunes but I really enjoyed most of the cuts on this CD and there is a universal appeal to Gary Ogans’ music that everyone can relate to… Excellent work Gary!

Check this CD out at:

Sound Ground by Gary Ogan available online at Amazon.com

www.garyogan.com