Disc One
The album opens with a declaration, “I Don’t Have The Blues,” and the music seems to indicate as much. Sure, it’s bluesy, but there is a certain cheer about it, as in its rhythm. Check out the song’s opening lines: “You tell me everything is wrong/You tell me there’s no good in sight/Now I got to sing this song/And let you know that some things are right.” It’s good to hear this, isn’t it? For many of us, it does seem that everything is wrong, that there is no good in sight. But of course there is some good out there, and much of it is presented in, and as, song. This song in particular might get you moving too, and, in fact, it might help alleviate you of the blues as well, or at least give you a temporary reprieve. So you too can be singing, “I don’t have the blues.” It ends with some nice percussion, a wonderful little surprise. That’s followed by the album’s title track, “Except Always,” which has something of a Rolling Stones vibe as it begins. Yes, here he is a one-man rock and roll band, delivering strong work on guitar and keys. And the chorus has a bit of a Byrds flavor. “Hey, you’re never to blame/Except always, except always.”
“Dear Boy” features some cool percussion and has something of a Santana vibe early on. “Dear boy/Just do the best you can do/Because they’ll never tell you the truth/Only their rules, but I know/The world is too big for you now/So just stay the way that you are/You’re mightier than you can know.” And somehow George Marinelli manages to jam with himself in the middle of this track. I especially love that guitar work. I suppose it should come as no surprise that this album has quite a lot of excellent guitar playing. Then “Follow The Wind” establishes a good bluesy groove, and offers this advice in its opening lines: “Don’t look back at where you’ve been/Only where you’re going/Be the river, be the sun/So go now and follow the wind.” These lines also stand out: “Raise your voice, it’s time to speak/And be as loud as you can be.” In part, those lines now stand out because of the disastrous and shocking way the presidential election went. Though the cynical side of me wonders if it might be too late at this point. Speaking won’t put an end to Trump; it hasn’t put an end to his cult of morons. No matter how loud we were in the time leading up to election, those awful people still supported him. And so I think back to the song’s first lines, and wonder just where it is that we’re going. It seems that now it is up to us as individuals to decide our own directions, selfish as that might sound.
In “Nuthin’ But A Heartache,” he sings, “I tell myself it’s true/I tell myself I’m over you/But I pull the shades and keep the daylight from getting through.” Those are interesting lines, in part because their application can go quite beyond the specific context here, this idea of holding onto a belief only by blocking out the light or the truth. You can keep the darkness true by refusing to admit the light. People certainly do this often. That instrumental section in the middle has kind of a contemplative feel in the work on keys. “Don’t worry about my heart/Don’t worry, it’s too late to start.” That’s followed by “Only A Fool,” which has a good groove. “You’re dragging your feet/If not now, hey, tell me when,” George Marinelli sings here. Many songs’ lyrics have been reminding me lately how short life is, and to seize our moments. Perhaps I’m reading into them that idea more than usual because I’m getting older, and because of how things are going out there. But it is a fact that we all have in common, this brevity.
“Howling” approaches us, like a strong wind overtaking us. And then we’re in the middle of it, citizens of this atmosphere, of this place, and what there is to say is left largely to us, for this one is an instrumental. It’s the album’s only instrumental track. It is followed by “Same Old Wrong,” which has more of a relaxed, easygoing feel. George Marinelli ends the song with the lines that also begin it: “I’m walking down this road/Trying to make some sense of it all.” And it fades out, as if he’s walking away down that road, leaving us with the same feeling. The disc then concludes with a song titled “Tell Me What It’s All About,” and this one has a delicious jazzy element to it. It’s a love song of sorts, and is one of my personal favorites. “I’m just going to jump and shout/‘Til you look my way.”
Disc Two
The second disc kicks off with “Believe,” which has a delicious, fun groove, with a bit of a reggae vibe. This song was the title track to George Marinelli’s 2015 album. “I didn’t wake up one morning and decide that I should take a break/I wasn’t looking for excuses, to leave for its own sake/I tried to make both of us happy, I did everything I could/The stars never did seem to line up the way we think they should.” The song is about a relationship, but the lines about the stars not lining up can be applied to other arenas in our lives as well. There is such a nice, positive feel to this song. Then “Border Town” begins with a strong rock energy. “I can’t trust nobody/Hope is a fading light just on the other side.” This song was the lead track on George Marinelli’s 2022 album Sign Here, and now, perhaps even more than then, border towns are caught in the drama of our nation. The current administration is determined to destroy the lives of immigrants and even those suspected of being immigrants. “Hoping we could find a better life/Just another refugee/Homeless, but hot hopelessly/Got to get beyond this border town.” This one was written by George Marinelli and Rich Wayland.
“Living Like Kings” comes from Self Made Fool, released in 2020. It has a more somber sound. Its
opening lines will likely speak to you: “So
where are the days we were all involved/Say the word and the problem’s solved/We
offer nothing more than just excuses/Now the best ain’t good enough/Now we’re
soft where we once were tough/High man on the totem pole or nothing.” There
is a bit of a Willie Nile vibe to his approach. The song does mention the
progress we’ve made, how the poorest among us would seem to be doing well by
the standards of times long ago. But it’s not offered as a positive thing, as
there is a cost to the way we are living. “We
just take and don’t give, so don’t expect any more from me.” Then “Tokens
Of A Broken Love” has a softer, mellower vibe. This song comes from Believe. “Tokens
of a broken love/Things that used to mean so much/Nothing but keepsakes,
reminders of heartaches.” The song looks back, but is not lost to the memory.
There is some perspective now. Some wisdom has been gained, and so the song offers
a positive outlook for those who might now be in a disastrous relationship, the
feeling that they’ll get through it, that they’ll heal and one day be able to
look back
“Burn It All Down,” the title track from George Marinelli’s 2018 album, has a rock energy, which is heard especially in his vocal performance. “Don’t look now/I might just take what I need.” His voice has that kind of attitude, that sense of drama, of danger. “Storm’s brewing, can’t take it no more.” The guitar work seems to express that too. I also like the work on keys here. Then “Heatwave In December” eases in, creeps in, slides in, moving at a pace that seems impacted by the heavy heat. “Let it rain, let it thunder/Let it pound against the door/I think I finally understand/The darkness on the ocean floor/And what the light is for.” This track has a cool, bluesy vibe, and is captivating, feeling like it could strike at any moment. This song was written by George Marinelli and Doug Hoekstra, and was included on Sign Here. That’s followed by “Oh No, Not Love Again,” which comes from Wild Onions, released in 2014. “Oh no, not love again/Tempting me to give that wheel a spin/Round and round and round it goes.” Oh yes, love is here. What else is there? I love that guitar work during that short instrumental section in the middle.
“Sign Here,” the title track to his 2022 album, is a good, bluesy number with something to say. “Sign here, sign on the dotted line/Make it clear ‘cause this’ll be the last time/No regrets, be too late to change your mind/Sign here, sign on the dotted line.” That’s followed by “King Of Your Own Despair,” the lead track from Self Made Fool. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Don't look now, I'm in the shadows just beneath the surface/You take the vow, I load your gun and watch you pull the trigger/I call the shots, I know that you’ll deliver.” I love that he uses the phrase “I’ll call the shots” after a line about loading a gun, for it’s like the line has its literal meaning as well as its more figurative one. The jam at the end has a good weight to it. Then “Crystal Staircase” comes from the 2016 album So Far, So Good. There is a good vibe to this one from its start, and the song’s opening lines, “Times can be tough, yeah, but time can pass/Changes come slowly, but change can last,” add to that feeling. Later in the song, George Marinelli sings, “Two steps up and one step back is fast as I can go.” I think we as a nation are in that one large step backward phase at the moment. “There’s nothing else I can do,” he repeats in the middle of the song, a line many of us might find ourselves singing.
“Love Can Be Like That” has something of a reggae vibe, which is effective in raising our spirits. It seems this song is designed to do just that. “You tell yourself you won’t look back/But you will/Yeah, you know you will/And when you do, you realize/The thing you thought you left behind/Is with you still.” This song comes from Believe, and features some nice work on guitar. It is followed by “Self Made Fool,” the title track to his 2020 album. “Find someone who loves you heart and soul/And make a promise not to let her go/Take for granted all she gives/And be surprised when she walks out on you/And you can call yourself a self-made fool.” Then “So Good, So Bad” has a strong 1970s vibe, a nice, smooth pop sound, and a good vocal performance. “I wanna make you feel so good so bad/Give you the best love you ever had/I wanna put a smile on your face/In the worst kind of way.” This one comes from Believe.
“You’re Done With Down” begins with the sound of a storm, something I can always do without. But soon the song begins, and it has a rather sweet vibe. “You’re sailing over the clouds/That used to bring you down.” There is some really nice guitar work in the middle. I think we all want to be “done with down for good.” Maybe this music can help. “You’re Done With Down” is followed by “If You Need Somebody,” which has pop elements and also features some good stuff on harmonica. “If you need somebody/To be the one to see you through/If you want somebody/To understand you like I do/If you’re tired of searching/And your heart’s about to run aground/You’ve only got to turn around/Because I’m here waiting.” We all need somebody to see us through. Then “The Royal Clown” uses carnival sideshow imagery to good effect. “Lemonade and cotton candy, nothing that ever lasts too long/My life is looking like the circus, but the magic is gone.” The disc wraps up with “Good Night New York,” a song from Wild Onions. It begins with some soft, pretty work on acoustic guitar. This song also mentions the circus in its lyrics: “Yeah, it’s been fun, you’ve got more clowns than Barnum & Bailey.” The song directly addresses the city of New York: “I’d wish you well on a star/But they all look so pale in your lights/So I’ll call it a day/Good night, New York, good night.”
CD Track List
Disc One
- I Don’t Have The Blues
- Except Always
- Dear Boy
- Follow The Wind
- Nuthin’ But A Heartache
- Only A Fool
- Howling
- Same Old Wrong
- Tell Me What It’s All About
Disc Two
- Believe
- Border Town
- Living Like Kings
- Tokens Of A Broken Love
- Burn It All Down
- Heatwave In December
- Oh No, Not Love Again
- Sign Here
- King Of Your Despair
- Crystal Staircase
- Love Can Be Like That
- Self Made Fool
- So Good, So Bad
- You’re Done With Down
- If You Need Somebody
- The Royal Clown
- Good Night New York
Except Always
was released on May 17, 2024 on Loud Folk Records.
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