One moment sums up Eric Gales for me. It was at the Robin 2, in Bilston, on the last night of the band’s 2017 November tour. Half way through the show, Eric’s wife, LaDonna ran off stage in tears. The band finished the song and Eric explained to the audience that a close friend had died just the night before, but that the band had wanted to play the show rather than let their audience down. The simple honesty with which he invited the audience to share his experience was truly moving and when, a little while later, LaDonna bravely returned to the stage, the applause was long and heartfelt. Such connections between artist and audience are few and far between, but I will forever remember that show as something beautiful.
Now back with a new album (following on from 2017’s Middle of the road), Eric (joined by B. Slade, Doyle Bramhall II and Beth Hart), has made a conscious effort to push himself still further, both as a guitarist and a vocalist. The result is a collection of tracks that stand as some of the best pieces that Eric has yet put his name to.
Echoing the experience you might get from a live show, the album opens with some intense, Hendrix-esque guitar work on Intro before Eric performs an elegant volte-face and leads his band into the acoustic strum of Something’s gotta give (feat. B. Slade). With rich, funky bass underpinning the tightly-wound acoustic work, something’s gotta give is a warm, soulful track with a glorious solo at its heart. A nimble electric guitar figure introduces another number heavy on the funk in the form of Watcha gon’ do. Juxtaposing the lascivious bass of the verse with a huge chorus, Eric and his band clearly had a blast tracking this one, and the solos (from both guitar and bass) are mind-blowing. Next up, Eric and his band go full-on Prince with It just beez that way, a slinky track that struts its stuff as the band incorporate funk, jazz and soul into four glorious, life-affirming minutes. The first half of the album concludes with How do I get you, a slower, more reflective piece that allows the audience a breather after the wild, funky extravagance of the opening numbers.
The second half of the album opens with a guest slot as Southpaw serenade sees Eric joined by the insanely talented Doyle Bramhall II (whose solo album, shades, was one of our albums of the year in 2018) for a track that is an air-guitarist’s wet dream. Reminiscent of that awesome moment at the climax of comfortably numb where Doyle trades solos with Snowy White (on Roger Waters’ in the flesh set), there’s a sense of electricity that flows through the heart of this eight-minute masterclass in fret-work that is utterly irresistible. Following on from so epic a track, Eric sensibly unleashes a raucous rocker in the form of Reaching for a change, a heavy, heavy blues with some bristling guitar work and fiery riffs, its exactly what the album needed at this point, and the only way to follow on from so exceptional a piece of music. The accusatory Somebody lied sees Eric and his band change tack again, on a taut, slightly paranoid piece of music that hangs on some typically-heroic soloing from Eric. Musically rousing and lyrically poignant, a cover of with a little help from my friends sees Eric joined by the wonderful Beth Hart. Both survivors, and both artists who openly share their story with their fans so that they may learn from it, Beth and Eric give the track everything they’ve got, fully in their knowledge that their own survival had much to do with the friends and family that supported them. It brings considerable resonance to a familiar song and makes for emotional listening, particularly when Eric unleashes the full, soulful might of his band on the soaring chorus. The album ends with the wonderful, multi-tracked guitar of Resolution, an elegant, instrumental finale which, with its overtones of Layla, leaves the listener slack-jawed. There’s also a bonus track on the CD edition which sees B. Slade return for the short, acoustic-led Pedal to the metal which brings the album to a most satisfying close.
A genuine inspiration, Eric Gales has outdone himself on The Bookends. Drawing from funk, soul, blues and rock, he trips lightly over a variety of genres, always placing melody centre-stage, with the result that the album proves memorable from start to finish. With a production that captures everything in perfect clarity, a set of performances that are exquisite and an eight-minute barn-stormer in southpaw serenade that can only be described as a masterpiece, Eric Gales has delivered an unassailable classic that perfectly summates his myriad strengths over the course of fifty short minutes. 10
