Greg Nagy – ‘Walk That Fine Thin Line’

Big O Records - 2412 - 2009

www.big-o-records.com

By Randy Hoffman

For the

Blues Blowtorch Society - www.bluesblowtorch.org

At first opening of the package, the logo-like GREGNAGY and the fine, thin, ‘red’ line spoke to me.  It begs the question what ‘Fine Thin Line’ are we ‘Walking’?  I was glad to have made all of my notes on this cd before reading Dick Shurman’s liner.  He expressed many of the same elements very well.  Greg and his co-conspirators did a fine job of expression, too.  Kudos go to the rhythm section, Bob Gardner on drums and James Williams on bass.  Tight!

Greg’s vocal opening, with amazing backing vocals, sets the stage with the title tune.  The vocal prowess lets you know upfront, ‘the song is the focus’.  After that is established, crisp layers of talent are warmly embodied in the work. ‘Walk That Fine Thin Line’ is a very engaging opener, and I was struck by the guitar work and then the arrangement, which I noted throughout the cd.  Reviewing the liner later, I found Jim Alfredson contributed on just about every aspect of this cd; including co-arrangement, co-produced, and co-wrote a song with Greg; as well as engineering, all kinds of keys, woodblock, backing vocals, cd design & layout and wrote one song.

Albert King’s ‘For The Love Of A Woman’ takes Al Hill’s clean piano, Greg’s funky rhythm guitar and James Williams’ tasty bass line, and then steps it down straight and even.  Jim’s Hammond B3 is finely integrated with the piano, something that rarely occurs.  Alfredson’s ‘Blues Will Take Care Of You’ has a nice rhythmic energy.  The lyrics are slick and cool, and I began to realize the depth of Greg’s vocals.  They seem so right for the song and the tune.  I soon found that to be true, on each and every cut. 

Sometime during the next few tunes, a familiar feel, matched with great execution, started to unfold.  The co-written ‘Won’t Cry’ has a nice bounce and adds the backing vocals of Rachel Davis and Jen Sygit for such a nice touch.  ‘M & O Blues’ brings root music, with syncopated rhythms and rustic tones, to Greg’s guitars.  My favorite cut, ‘Sunrise’, is an upbeat offering with an amazing tightness between drummer Bob Gardner and Al Hill’s piano.  Keb Mo’s rootsy, storytelling ‘You Can Love Yourself’ shows that Greg makes each one of these tunes, his own.  I felt a convergence of styles.  Gospel, soul, blues and more emanate through Greg and the band, to draw in the listener.

‘Not Falling In Love’ brings a swampy, almost dark layer of energy to the picnic, then turns it nicely in the progression.  The 2^nd guitar is so precise, with the lead guitar and organ as fine accents.  ‘Jenny Jenny Jenny’ is a rockin’ good feel, which could have come from several eras as a ‘classic’.  These were both in the running for ‘best tune’ on the cd. Greg wraps up the cd delivering soulful vocals on a laidback ballad ‘She’s My Baby’.  It feels comfortable when Drew Howard adds the tone on steel guitar. 

This is an enjoyable cd.  The music covered a lot of ‘genre’ ground while maintaining cohesiveness.  Overall, it is a very fine ‘Blues’ cd.  The fine thin line may be in keeping the touch and tone within that parameter or, an invitation.  Greg’s voice is really the key, but his guitar work is diverse, accomplished and quite cool. 

I wanted to touch on ‘arrangement’ one more time, as it contributes greatly to the cd.  Musicians may recognize nifty chord progressions and turns, but this cd sparkles of musical interest.  One thing I noticed playing this cd ‘at home’, as opposed to ‘in my car’, is the layers of music used to illustrate the tunes.  The crispness of each seemingly warm layer, being distinct and tightly matched in structure and rhythm, is impressive, but never approaches the fine thin line as being ‘processed’.  The technology level of today’s recording equipment has taken the bar up a notch, and this cd stands up well.

‘The propinquity effect … holds that the more exposure a stimulus gets, the more likeable it becomes (Wikipedia).’  I believe this to be the case for Greg Nagy’s solo cd ‘Walk That Fine Thin Line’.  I have given it five or six spins to date, and it is staying in the cd player rotation for my next road trip.  BTW… that translates to: ‘Buy It’.