Photo: Joey Martinez

Photo: Joey Martinez

By Martine Ehrenclou

Gary Clark Jr.’s new album, Live/North America, released March 17, 2017, is an explosive concert album that captures this exceptional guitarist, singer, and songwriter, in raw, gritty form. The album is a mix of psychedelic rock, blues and soul. Recorded with no overdubs, the 12 tracks are from Clark’s concert tour that supported his studio album, The Story of Sunny Boy Slim (Warner Bros, 2015.)

With certain live concert albums, you buy into the experience. That is certainly the case with Live North America 2016. It delivers a distinct vibe, one of edginess, separate and apart from the studio-recorded album that came first. If I hadn’t listened to Gary Clark Jr. before this album, I’m not sure how I would have responded.

Click the first track, “Grinder,” and get ready to blast off. With heavy guitar distortion and gut wrenching vocals, you might have to give into the mood of this song as I did. There’s magic in Gary Clark Jr.’s Hendrix-like riffs and solos, in his vocals hollowed by pain. Clark and guitarist, Eric King Zapata, bassist, Johnny Bradley and drummer, Johnny Radelat, collaborate with outstanding musicianship.

The next track, “The Healing,” opens with a haunting guitar riff. The lyrics and Clark’s emotional vocals that power them, cut close to the quick. “The Healing” is an anthem of sorts, with words that might be as relevant in years to come as they are today.

This is our healing
This music is our healing
Lord knows we need some healing, yeah.
Cause in this world upsets me,
This music sets me free
God only knows who will save us
Who will save us now
While they sit back and watch flowers turn to stone.

One thing is for sure—Live North America 2016 is the antithesis of today’s overproduced, over-managed pop music. Gary Clark Jr. reminds me of artists like Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and many blues artists from way back, when the artist’s creativity and vision were allowed to shine and develop on their own. No fixing, no primping or manufacturing of the music to fit a mold.

Live North America 2016 is refreshing in many ways. Some might bristle at some of the dissonant vocals, something that’s present on a few of the tracks on this album. What I heard was Clark’s extraordinary talent, the power of stripped down vocals and instruments.

Take the fourth track, “When My Train Pulls In.” It kicks off with a disquieting guitar solo and Clark’s voice full of anguish. This is a rock tune that bleeds. It’s the kind of song that can rip your heart out at 3 am if you’re alone in a strange city with no one to call.

Starting with Clark’s rhythm guitar and sliding into an R&B groove, “Cold Blooded” has flavors of Motown with a modern twist. Clark’s falsetto vocals add an unexpected layer of sound. This song almost defies categorization and could point to why Gary Clark Jr. is considered so cool, so hot, so now.

“Down to Ride” floats Clark’s falsetto vocals over a Motown/soul feel, hurling you back to music icons from decades ago, when musical geniuses blended different styles to create new sounds.

“You Saved Me,” the seventh track, starts with a melancholy guitar run with plenty of distortion. It’s a heavy rock tune that’s almost otherworldly, with dark guitar tone and snare drum. “You Saved Me” seems as if it’s more about what Clark has been saved from. The song grinds into psychedelic rock with guitar solos that will surely satiate many Gary Clark Jr. fans.

“My Baby’s Gone” is a 12-bar blues number that opens with Clark on slide guitar. My thanks to, Eric Bair, who helped me out with information about the Delta blues flavor on this tune. Eric said, “’My Baby’s Gone’ has the sound and feel of Delta blues transported, along with Elmore James, into 2017. It’s truly a great, inspired cover.”

Live North America 2016 isn’t always pleasant to listen to because it’s raw, rife with authentic emotion and plenty of mood. But the artistry of Gary Clark Jr. cannot be denied. He is a musician with real talent who takes risks. This live concert album opens a door to Clark’s world, to an experience.

This album is available on:

Gary Clark Jr’s website: http://www.garyclarkjr.com/Live2016

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2o5J1gm

iTunes: http://apple.co/2nKmZTV