by Bruce Williams, independent music journalist.   December 1999 - As of the time of writing, this article is not yet published... still looking for a place to be printed.                  

Back To the Dirt - A First CD by Brian Gladstone  

A Look at the CD and the Artist

‘This is not an ordinary CD. The more you listen, the more you hear, the more you think, and then it starts again.’

As the title of his debut CD Back to the Dirt suggests, the melodic finger picking folk sounds of Brian Gladstone embrace the aura of simpler time. A first glance of the cover indicates this is no ordinary CD release – there is deep symbolism embedded into the visual packaging which is apparent even before the adult-proof cellophane wrapper is cursed then shred. The vibrantly illustrated outwardly eye pleasing cover artwork is validated cerebrally by the connections and metaphors it conjures up. The back cover is a continuation of that theme.. and when both are studied in concert, some powerful reflections occur in your brain. The exceptional hand illustrated book included was sketched and written by Brian, at the suggestion of cover artist Karen Roberts. Look for her work in the future, this lady has great talent and insight. At the completion of the project, Karen asked to keep Brian’s original hand artwork as an inspiration. It’s a very transparent cover on literal inspection, much like the CD itself, but the more you look at it – the more connotations and connections jump out at you and will for a few weeks.

This full-length album contains fifteen tracks, all of which embody the soulful, free spirited finger picking licks of a master musician. It has become rare for a listener to hear a story dance along the reverberations of guitar strings. It is the craft itself that has somehow (amidst the three chord harmonies that own the pop charts) become lost along with a new generation.

The CD opens with Brian’s ragtime finger picking into to ‘Betty Two Shoes’, accompanied by an acoustic bass. Then the slide dobro – tuned as a standard guitar (not open strings) – joins in. The first thirty seconds of the CD provides a very accurate indication of the flavor, tone, mentality, and attitude for the next fifty-five minutes. The finger pickings sounds in the style of Arlo Guthrie’s classic Alice’s Restaurant, strong alternating bass lines formed around the C chord positions, but expands into walking bass lines and adds some Ragtime guitar flavor.

Brian’s ‘Car Song’ uses a tasteful mix of two guitars (which he played both), alternating between lead and rhythm. Good old fashioned tight finger-picking on the lead guitar is reminiscent (although in a different key) Doc Watson’s ‘Southbound’ technique, or perhaps like Jim Kweskin’s rendition of ‘Downtown Blues.’ The second guitar is elegantly laid-back to accent the first guitar, except for two quick flat picked section where Brian finds the notes we don’t know yet. This guitar work is against a cute story which begins with the lyrics ‘I always treat her gently when we’re driving in my Bentley,’— and portrays the story of an elderly couple and their adventures cruising the rural roads.

Lyrically poetic and at times prophetic, songs like ‘Children Sleep in Snow’ carry a political message juxtaposed with the sweet, haunting voice of Brian’s thirteen year old daughter singing back-up vocals. The song reminds us about our most valuable resource, our future, and our children. Brian claims he wrote the song after meeting some young teens sleeping on the street during a cold Toronto winter night, and after their brief encounter, the girl promised to phone her mother.

The ‘Don Valley Parkway Blues’ is a fast moving energetic song about an overcrowded traffic expressway. Again, the use dual compensating guitar demonstrates Brian’s mastery of not only the instrument, but also the nature of harmony, control, and balance to bring the emotion to the listener.

The lyrics of ‘Children of the Sun’ are not only farsighted and visionary, but show the insight and intuition possible only from a closeness to nature and a finger on the pulse of mankind. The wooden flute on this cut played by Ron Korb, was a sound Brian heard in Sedona and knew it would be perfect for this song. The words relate the possible fate of the world and are described in a personal nature as well as in global proportions. Brian says that the song portrays a vision that reoccurs in his mind, ‘and There is hope because we have the power to change the words.’

Caren42 is a haunting lyrical experience – because there is a little bit of Caren in all of us. Listening to Caren is like looking into the mirror of our soul. The lyrics are simply lingering and thought provoking, such as

‘ Caren drops her tank top, sinks her back into the beach;

She sends her eyes to probe blue skies, far beyond her reach’

or a later verse :

‘....Psychedelic architect with lines etched to her brow;

She hides herself behind the clouds confusing it with now

. --- And we say – You're all right with me babe;

If only you could see; Everything you need is there, babe;

You're all right with me’ This is typical of the quality of lyrics throughout the CD . The guitar playing on Caren42 is sort of Peter, Paul, and Maryish. The last minute of this five-minute song is two finger picked guitars, and the laid back ahhhhhs of Bonnie Gladstone, Brian’s sister. ‘I didn’t want the words to go away yet, ‘ states Brian explaining the long instrumental fade to black, ‘You have to think about the words for a while before they stop …’ Caren42 can be a comparable musical experience to the first listening of Suzanne by Leonard Cohen. And what is the meaning of 42? Brian doesn’t answer, but says its ‘something Caren told him, and many people already know what it’s about.’ Brian goes on to add ‘Whenever I play Caren42, people always come up after and tell me what the words mean to them -- then they ask -- is that right? Is that what they mean? And I invariably agree with them. I’ve heard hundreds explanations of Caren’s lyrics, and they’re all accurate. Everybody has a little bit of Caren inside them’

The concept of Cyberbabe is the essence of ‘An Analogue Guy Trapped in a Digital World,’ -- which is Brian’s self affixed handle as a 90s survival skill. A single guitar picks out a three note alternating bass pattern, melody line, and harmony – all while singing. ‘That’s not easy to do’ states Brian. If you want to know who’s playing the second guitar – there isn’t one! The guitar style is probably based on the playing of Mississippi John Hurt, perhaps a little more melodic, but definitely less syncopated. The witty lyrics in PC vernacular depict a cynical sarcastic view of impersonal digital relationships, and an observation of modern mentalities confusing this with life. Both sides of Brian’s brain are apparent in Cyberbabe – as he wrote the song in a single evening -- the paradoxical combination of his engineering degree collide head-on with his 60s folksinger mentality. It is just this combination of mindset, which give the entire CD a very exceptional and unique flavor.

The album also includes a four-minute instrumental fingerpicking tune called Lengthy Diatribe. The CD closes with three live tunes recorded at various gigs in 1997. The last tune is particularly interesting, where Brian performs his rendition of Reverend Gary Davis’s classic Hesitation Blues, and claims he’s been playing it for twenty years and ‘is still trying to fit in al the notes.’

As a whole, Back to the Dirt is an uplifting experience that gets the fingers snapping and toes tapping. The simplicity of Brian’s message, interleaved with the intricate complexities of his unique musical style is an experience of sheer enlightenment not to be missed. After the first listen, you will have a sense of Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen in the early years – rich lyrically and musically – but the singing takes getting used to. Like a fine wine, after a while, you realize the singing matches the song completely. (like who can sing Leonard Cohen songs better than Leonard can?) Then you may have the sense of hearing the great guitar masters seasoned in a very original and pleasing guitar style. After a few listens, you will begin to think and reflect about the words and messages, and study the cover again. The CD leaves you with an overall feeling of hope. Brian Gladstone is a very skilled and gifted thinker, songwriter, and musician.

There is so much more depth and significance in Back to the Dirt than can be described within the context of this report. The entire CD is acoustic – there are no electric instruments or electronic enhancements of the sound. The recording was done in Brian’s basement, where at times you can hear unedited background sounds as a coke can opening, phone ringing, and his dog barking. Producer and sound engineer Robert Digioia (De-joya) worked with Brian for two years in recording, and comments that despite the number of takes, we usually ended up using the first one. Robert describes the sound characteristic as ‘simply Brian’, and describes the performance to ‘Doc Watson Meets Leonard Cohen.’ This is not an ordinary CD. Back to the Dirt can set an innovative style and way of thinking for young writers and guitar pickers to emulate. Brian can make you laugh, he can make you cry, he can stop you dead and make you think. The style is unique, novel and inventive.

The CD is a must listen, and depicts the folk singer mentality of the 60s coping with the catalyst of the 90s.