Garett Gunderson – Anywhere Anytime
This starts with the rousing pop-inflected title track “Anywhere Anytime,” & it’s skillful, sumptuous, radiant & memorable. “I Want To” comes across deliciously with Jimmy Buffett island musical flavors. Should’ve been called “I Want To Meet You In the Moonlight.” That’s at least romantic & the song is. At times, some tunes have the clarity of The Byrds classic chiming guitars resonating through the fine arrangements. Canada-based Garett Gunderson (vocals) has a refreshing voice with his original musical excursions.
There are 9 expressive, loosely modeled rock nuggets on Garett’s sophomore showcase Anywhere Anytime (Drops August 21/Independent/28:56) produced by Stew Kirkwood (multi-instrumentalist). There are moments of classic-rock unity, but Garett manages to slather each tune with a signature sound all his. Lots of optimistic themes, cheerful melodies & good time feelings – which we can use lately.
Track 6 “Miss Dynamite” is an all-out-rocker arranged with incisive stabs of guitar & snappy drums. Not long enough. The structure of the tune is so jammable. Not familiar with Mr. Gunderson? Start with the title track, then “Miss Dynamite” – indispensable.
Funkier is “Something So Right,” with its aggressive dance floor groove. All the songs are fairly basic stuff, but when it’s done with this kind of integrity, it’s pleasurable. There’s nothing that suffers from silliness, or novelty-oriented forays into cliches, or low-temperature performances. There are no missteps.
“Something So Right” does have a similarity to Culture Club’s “Karma Chameleon,” but it’s momentary & hardly registers. Garett whimsically keeps the songs interesting, energetic, & always satisfying. The only criticism isn’t musical – it’s song titles. Too simplistic, not engaging, or indulgent. I’m sure somewhere in those superb lyrics is an additional line to sell the song title.
I like Garett; he has a good rock voice, & he has fine players on his team that keep every song formidable. That’s what happens when you smile as you sing.
Highlights – “I Want To,” “Anywhere Anytime,” “Our Love Flows,” “In the Sunlight,” “Let Our Love,” “Miss Dynamite,” & “Something So Right.”
Musicians – Allison Ochoa (baritone sax), Rob Shapiro (organ), Bob Tildesley (trumpet), Tim Cotton & Stephanie Suchy (harmonies), & Itunu Choir.
Color image courtesy of Garett’s website. CD @ Apple & https://garettgunderson.com/