Ever had a chance to visit British Columbia? It’s a majestic place with soaring mountains, pristine valleys, a craggy Pacific coast line, the gorgeous Victoria island, and the cosmopolitan city of Vancouver. It is also home to one of the greatest blues men of his generation, David Gogo!! Encouraged by Stevie Ray Vaughan at the age of 15 to pursue his budding love of the blues, David released his first solo recording in 1994. In the years since he has released over a dozen recordings spanning the breadth of the blues with acoustic songs, traditional blues numbers, and a whole bunch of rockin’ blues. And he has been nominated for dozens of Canadian blues awards and won several.
On David Gogo’s new recording YEAH, he brings a blues rock spirit, a wealth of talent and experience, some great songs, and a fantastic group of fellow Canadians together for an incredible recording. David comes across as relaxed and havin’ a blast on the entire recording!! Musicians on the album include Steve Marriner of the famed group MonkeyJunk (who produced the album), Jimmy Bowskill (guitars and bass) and Gary Craig (drums).
My favorite tune on the album is a blues rock boogie number Give’er at the River. It has an infectious beat and is a fun adult song about havin’ a good time. I also love the funky soul driven tune, Hurricane. I think the blues roots song Real Good Woman should get a lot of airplay. And I love the sound and lyrics of One More Day. David Gogo is a world class songwriter and both Moose Hall Brawl and Ballad of Bad Boy Billy are great little stories that he paints in vivid musical notes.
I have listened to David Gogo for years and YEAH just comes across as a recording by an artist who is comfortable with who he is, his talent, and who has surrounded himself with musicians who just want to crank out some badass contemporary blues. And most of all, YEAH is just FUN. It will make you smile, wanna dance, and sing along. No need to ask for any more in 2024!!
David Gogo – Yeah (2024) [Cordova Bay Records]
https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2IYZelx0723itlGSVnKtXQ?utm_source=generator
Ben Vee has been a radio host on Blues Music Fan Radio for over 6 years and has been writing about the blues on his blog at http://www.benveeblues.com since 2014. He now also writes for BMFR.
Blues Beats is powered by Blues Music Fan Radio (BMFR), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, listener-supported station streaming the best in blues 24/7. We’re dedicated to sharing world-class blues — past, present, and future — and supporting the artists who keep the music alive.
