Andrew Gold - Something New: Unreleased Gold

  by Lisa Torem

published: 13 / 7 / 2020

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Review

Award-winning producer Peter Asher summed this project up perfectly when writing the liner notes: “Let us not overlook Andrew’s extraordinary ability as a songwriter—something the demos in this collection make so abundantly apparent.” So true: Gold embraced the mid-1970s by working with Linda Ronstadt, Art Garfunkel and James Taylor, ultimately charting with ‘Lonely Boy’. He went on to score American TV anthems and so much more; these songs represent some of his best work. Mr. Asher emphasized Andrew Gold’s songwriting abilities but Gold was a man in possession of many talents. On the 'Something New: Unreleased Gold' “solo demos,”; a few of the tracks are done with a full band, he strums beautiful acoustic guitar and shares with us incredible Gospel-blues piano. Moreover, this project is essential listening because it represents Andrew’s “first recordings as a solo artist and is comprised of 16 demos from 1973 that have been previously unreleased.” The opener, ‘Something New,’ is a refreshing love ballad, which recalls the exuberant chord changes of the early 1960’s bands. Kenny Edwards delivers a terrific, countrified, electric guitar solo. Moving forward, Andrew’s warm vocals are embraced by emphatic blues harp. On ‘Come Down to Me', the theme of love continues, but in a more vulnerable form. “Oh, my friend, don’t forget me,” Andrew sings, with an aspirant of desperation. “In the morning, I rise to meet you/In the evening, you drift away.” Then, on clangy guitar, and with a more philosophical nod, he gifts us, ‘What You Do Is What You See.’ “Let’s start looking forward/It’s upward and onward for you and me.” Who doesn’t love a lyric with such a positive lilt? Back on piano, he launches into ‘The World Tomorrow Brings,’ in which he puts a thumb down on nostalgia. “Everyone around me says they like the days gone by…” After this solid exposition, he engages in a fun pianistic romp which branches out into a solo. Andrew’s craftsmanship on the instrument ties the polar opposite worlds together, as he sings, “Forget the 1950s/It’s now we should revive.” On the guitar-driven tune, ‘You Are Somewhere Within Me,’ Andrew employs another strategy: “You are listening/I want to speak my mind.” This exuberant and bluesy soul-searcher hits the mark, lyrically and thematically, leaving Andrew with lots of rooms to get in a harmonic groove. But when he sings about loneliness, on ‘Sometimes When a Man’s On His Own,’ he is again, unmatched and inarguably clear. On the fully orchestrated version of ‘Prisoner,’ there’s the rendering of endearing 60’s harmonies and a righteous backbeat. Hence, Andrew with the band sound completely at home. In ‘Ten Years Behind Me,’ the tear-stained sadness in Andrew’s voice comes with no apologies. This ballad, is perhaps, the most touching selection on this ambitious project. In contrast, ‘Timothy Corey,’ sprints forth with sparkling piano. This old-timey arrangement is balanced out with a delightful tale. Then, there is ‘Penny Arcade.’ Although the lyric spells out the story early on, “I lived my whole life in a penny arcade,” there’s so much more to take in as the narrative progresses: “I first had my own calliope/I first learned to sing when I was just three.” ‘Resting in Your Love’ is another harmony-filled, pop phenomenon, but on the solo demo, ‘Joseph,’ where Andrew sets the mood with a character study, “Joseph stands at the window and counts the passing planes,” the listener gets the added pleasure of a haunting outro. The tongue-in-cheek, ‘A Note from You’ comes full-circle with Andrew’s celebratory falsetto. The album closes with the solo demo, ‘To Be Someone,’ which reveals Andrew’s best trait of all, the ability to songwrite and perform with total transparency.

Track Listing:-

1 Something New
2 Come Down To Me
3 What You Do Is What You See
4 The World Tomorrow Brings
5 You Are Somewhere Within Me
6 Sometimes When A Man's On His Own
7 Prisoner
8 Ten Years Behind Me
9 Timothy Corey
10 Almost Love
11 Penny Arcade
12 Don't Bring Me Down
13 Resting In Your Love
14 Joseph
15 A Note From You
16 To Be Someone

Band Links:-

https://www.andrewgold.com/
https://www.facebook.com/andrewgoldmus
https://twitter.com/search?q=andrewgol
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_G