I tried, I did, I really tried to like this offering from Oak & Gorski, however despite repeated playing, I remain almost completely unmoved by this. When I got the CD, my hopes were high. The cover looked great, with a picture of Oak & Gorski on horseback, instruments in hand, charging into town, like some outlaw desperados about to change everything.
However, a bit like Smash instant mashed potato, the picture on the packet, was far more palatable than the contents. It’s not that there is anything bad with Oak & Gorski, far from it. It’s just that this CD didn’t stand well above the mainstream, and there was nothing really to set it apart from thousands of western styled folk rock bands that you can find in your local on a Friday night.
Oak & Gorski were previously known as The Ken Oak Band, however as they have been a duo since 2006, the re-naming earlier this year is more appropriate.
The CD starts off with ‘Little Miss Blue’ a countrified folk rock track, which starts off well, with some reasonable lyrics “Your mood swings, Like a drunk in a bar fight, Spilled my drink, Now you know that it's not right”., so far so good, however the chorus of “What are we gonna do with you Little miss blue?” is repetitive, and adds nothing to the story.
‘Pretty Far Gone’ follows in a similar fashion, however with some great cello playing, but once again it is the lyrics which keep this from rising above the sort of thing that is played by Eagles type tribute bands across the Country “I was pretty far gone for a Monday, The bartender cut me off twice now
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But he don't know me, And I don't know him” For me this just doesn’t hit the spot.
‘Turn of Events’ is a bit better, being a romantic Country song which makes this one of the better tracks on the album “When you're tired, Tired of all the glamour, And you've seen, Seen all there is to offer, In this life, Don't be afraid to turn”. This is a marked improvement on the two previous tracks.
‘When the Evening Comes’ is another decent track, and with a solid piano based melody, is something which holds the album up, but comes a little too late into the proceedings, appearing almost halfway through the track list.
They save the best track until last, the instrumental ‘Libretto’, which is hauntingly beautiful, but is indicative that the lyrics ultimately have let this album down.
Overall, this is not a bad album, but equally it is not a great album, and that, for me, was the real disappointment. There is certainly some promise showed there, so hopefully the next one will remedy any shortcomings found here.
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