Tim Gartland: "Right Amount Of Funky" (2025) CD Review

Tim Gartland's new album, Right Amount Of Funky, is full of great blues sounds, just as we've come to expect from this singer, songwriter and harmonica player. And here he also adds some soul and even reggae elements. And, as you might surmise from the title, an amount of funk. Just the right amount. Hey, we need some funk these days, no question about it. The album features all original material, written or co-written by Tim Gartland. Joining him on this release are Robert Frahm on electric guitar, Dennis Drummond on acoustic guitar and backing vocals, Jody Nardone on keyboards, Mike Joyce on bass, Jack Bruno on drums, Andy Peake on percussion and backing vocals, Nalani Rothrock on backing vocals, and Jolie Grace Wareham on backing vocals. The album was produced by Tim Gartland and Andy Peake.

He kicks off the album with "Waste A Worry," a song about being down, having lost his job and his woman (the second because of the first, apparently). But his attitude is still positive, as he urges his friend not to waste a worry on him, the song addressing that friend (and so us): "I'll be my old self eventually/I'm going to take the time I need/So don't waste a worry on me." And he sings, "I got enough funds for my rainy day." What, a blues song in which the guy isn't completely broke? Yes. And talk about looking on the bright side, he sings, "My work was like a prison, so now I'm free/My woman dug the dollar more than she dug me." This track features some nice touches on guitar, even before that cool lead. And, yes, there is a delicious lead on harmonica. Toward the end he tells his friend there is something he can do for him, and that is play a little music with him. I love that! And that music can help the rest of us. I hope we can all adopt his attitude as we face our individual (and collective) problems. Then we get the album's title track, "Right Amount Of Funky," which begins with a good beat, setting the tone, setting the mood. As the bass leads us into the main body of the song, we feel the funk coming on. And here we get another good message. Check out these first lines: "Well, what's funky enough is up to you, you see/What's funky for you might not work for me/The groove that feels true and makes you move is the one to use, baby." I'm digging his vocal performance. This is a very cool and fun track. "This funk right here is the right amount of funky for me." I'm guessing it will be the right amount for many people. And after he tells us that, he delivers a delightful lead on harmonica. This music will have you feeling good before long. What more can we ask in these infuriating times? At the end, there is some great back-and-forth between the harmonica and electric guitar, with some delicious stuff on keys supporting that conversation.

Those first two songs were written by Tim Gartland, and the next couple were written by Tim Gartland and Karen Leipziger, who also wrote "The Thing About The Truth" together (that one being on Gartland's 2022 album Truth). The first of those two is "A Better Life," which begins with a great, though brief, guitar introduction before easing into a good, somewhat relaxed groove. Tim Gartland has a talent for using the blues to address current troubles and issues, and he does so here. This song describes different situations that people are escaping when looking to come to a new land, looking for a better situation, that promise that the United States once boasted about. Something I love about this song is the uplifting turn as he sings the chorus, "With little more than a pocket full of dreams/A chance at a better life/A promise of what could be." It is as if the music itself still believes in that promise, still holds that promise. And just as we are feeling optimistic ourselves, the song turns again, describing the next person: "She was fourteen years old when the warning came down/Of vigilantes set to burn her town to the ground." These days this country has turned against immigrants, the very people we were taught were the backbone of this country when we were kids. This was supposed to be the land of opportunity, welcoming people to a better life. What are kids taught now, I wonder. This country has lost its way, and ICE is a terrorist organization, the United States' own gestapo. It is a terrifying time for immigrants, and even for those who might look like immigrants, or who might offer a helping hand to immigrants. When this terrible chapter in our nation's history comes to a close, and I am still hopeful that it will, ICE needs to be completely destroyed and its members put on trial for crimes against humanity. "A Better Life" is followed by "Walk Away." Here, Tim Gartland sings, "Did I see what I wanted? Was any of it real/You're not who I thought you were, that's how it feels." And when he sings, "It's time to walk away," those great, soulful backing vocals repeat that line. This one has a good vibe, even as he sings, "I got a hole where my heart was, love is what we lacked/You came in through the front door, you left out the back."  There is good work on harmonica throughout the track, and a solid lead on electric guitar. There is a lot that we want to walk away from. This could be a theme song for the world, in a way.

There is a cheerful vibe to "If This Ain't Heaven," both in its rhythm and in the vocal performance. "If this ain't heaven, yeah, it'll do/Sure enough will do, baby." This is a song that is certain to make you feel a bit better. Anyone in love knows exactly the way he feels. And love is what this whole thing is about, isn't it? Paradise isn't something that comes after death, it is what we achieve in the arms of that special person. If it's not heaven, it is just as good, no question. The harmonica tells us so. That's followed by "Alone Times." With this song, he gets into a reggae thing, a sound designed to make us feel good. I'm digging that percussion. "Nothing beats alone times with you," Tim Gartland sings on this track. Yes, another love song. The world needs as many love songs as it can get. When choosing things to compare to alone times with his love, the examples he gives are related to music: "Not even Mardi Gras in the quarter/Whisky with B.B. King/Graceland and the Jungle Room." And check out that lead on harmonica.

Even if you didn't know the title of the next song, "About To Cry," you might guess it from that instrumental opening. Once that mood is established, Tim Gartland sings, "So I'm about to cry/And if you asked me why/Well, I guess I'll try, I'll try to explain." The reason isn't difficult to fathom. It's a woman saying goodbye. But here he doesn't blame the woman; he blames himself. "She offered love, and I turned her down/I acted part fool, part circus clown." The album concludes with "Stop Working Me," which has a great classic blues rock sound. "If you want something from me/Don't treat me like a clown/Ask me straight away/Because the circus has left town." Yes, two songs in a row mention clowns, which is interesting. This is a fun one, featuring a seriously cool vocal performance. The backing vocal work is also wonderful. "I can spot a hustle/From a mile away," Tim sings here. Apparently nearly half the country is not so able to do so, and that has given the rest of us the blues.

CD Track List

1. Waste A Worry
2. Right Amount Of Funky
3. A Better Life
4. Walk Away
5. If This Ain't Heaven
6. Alone Times
7. About To Cry
8. Stop Working Me

Right Amount Of Funky was released on April 25, 2025.