David Gogo: Vicksburg Call Review

Vicksburg Call is the fourteenth album from British Columbia’s David Gogo and  Gogo shows no sign of slowing down. Vicksburg Call is one blistering rocking blues track after another.  The album opens with the power chord rock of “Cuts Me to the Bone.” This sets the tone for the entire record. Speaking of tone, Gogo’s guitar sounds like it’s on fire. His website says that he has recently acquired a new Les Paul but every musician knows that the tone is your hands. Gogo strangles and wrenches every bit of passion, soul, grit and grime from those six strings from start to finish.

Vicksburg Call features some fine blues rock writing. Of note are the title track,  “Vicksburg Call,” the boogie woogie rocker “Coulda Shoulda Woulda” and the hard driving shuffle of “Fooling Myself.” David also has a reputation as “the great interpreter.”  He lives up to that moniker with his renditions of Neil Young’s “The Loner” and the Stephen Stills penned “Jet Set (sigh)” but one of the most interesting tracks on Vicksburg Call is Gogo’s bluesy version of Annie Lennox’s “Why” which closes the album.

Gogos’ rhythm section of Bill Hicks (drums) and Jay Stevens (bass) is solid and gives Gogo lots of room to stretch out both on his Les Paul as well as vocally. Kim Simmonds and Shawn Hall appear as guests to round things out. Vicksburg Call is a solid album from one of Canada’s most electrifying guitarists and should satisfy the anyone one who is hungry for great roots and blues drenched rock.

The Review: 8.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– The Loner
– Shoulda Woulda Coulda
– Vicksburg Call
– Cuts Me to the Bone

The Hit

– Cuts Me to the Bone