Singer-songwriter
Randy Goodrum has written or co-written countless hits, including “You Needed
Me” for Anne Murray, “Who's Holding Donna Now” for El DeBarge, “Oh Sherrie” for
Steve Perry and “I'll Be Over You” for Toto, to name just a few. Goodrum is
also half of the renowned quality pop duo JaR, along with ace producer,
songwriter and guitar player Jay Graydon.
Bruce
Gaitsch is an extraordinary songwriter, guitarist and top session player who
has performed and/or recorded with dozen of major acts, including Chicago,
Celine Dion, Elton John, Amy Grant and Peter Cetera. Gaitsch has also co-penned
big hits like “La Isla Bonita” for Madonna and “Don't Mean Nothing” with his
old friend Richard Marx.
Dave Innis
is one of the founding members of the successful country-pop group Restless
Heart. He is also a successful songwriter and keyboard player, having penned
and co-written hits for a number of world-class artists, including The Pointer
Sisters, Peter Cetera, Lee Greenwood and Kenny Rogers, among others.
GIG is a
special project that started out in 2013 and continued to 2015. The basic
musical tracks were mostly co-written by Gaitsch and Innis. Eventually, Goodrum
added his golden touch by writing smart lyrics and providing ear-candy
melodies. The songs were recorded by Gaitsch on acoustic and electric guitars
and Innis on keyboards. An all-star cast rounded out the productions, including
fabulous drummers like Keith Carlock of Toto and Steely Dan fame, Dan Needham
who backed up stars like Michael McDonald and Marc Broussard, Billy Ward who
was a drummer for Bill Champlin and Marc Jordan, plus Suzanne Vega's player,
Doug Yowell. The bass parts were handled by George Hawkins Jr., Kenny Loggins'
legendary bassist, and Nashville's top session guy Tim Denbo. The very talented
singer Janey Clewer (Bruce Gaitsch's wife), who has toured/recorded with the
likes of Ray Charles, Harry Connick Jr., and David Foster, among others, sang
the gorgeous harmonies with Goodrum, who delivers some killer lead vocals
throughout the project.
GIG's Brave
New World is destined to be a must-listen for the lovers of West Coast pop and
soft-rock. The material included is a true master class, both in arrangement
and execution
The opener,
“Private O'Toole,” sets the atmosphere with a memorable melody, acoustic
guitars and acoustic piano surrounding Goodrum's confident voice. A plus on
Brave New World is the brilliant work on the lyrics which are nothing but
unpredictable and always catch the listener's attention. A good example is
“Hernando's Paradise”, a soft-rock gem with a Latin vibe and fantastic guitar
work by Gaitsch. “The Box” follows, and this is one of the things to hear on
Brave New World. The song's jazzy mood and memorable refrain are close to
Goodrum's work with Graydon on JaR with top-notch performances by Innis on the
acoustic piano and Gaitsch on guitars with beautiful harmony vocals by Clewer.
“Peddler, Pete,” “Waiting” and “Ramblin' Dan” are three acoustic ballads that
focus on great lyrical content. “Peddler, Pete” bears a country-pop influence,
“Waiting” has a jazzy feel in its delicate arrangement, while “Ramblin' Dan”
has strong echoes of Christopher Cross. “Little Flame” is a pop-rocker with an
intense vocal by Goodrum, who's also on Hammond B3, and an ear-candy refrain
fueled by some great work on the electric guitars by Gaitsch. After the
evocative acoustic ballad “All There Is” comes another highlight, the
Latin-tinged and gorgeous “Isle Of Pigs”. This song sports one of the album's
most refined melodies with more outstanding work on acoustic guitar, piano and
percussion. The title-track is very interesting, both lyrically and musically,
as the arrangement harks back to some of The Beatles' legendary songs.
“All I'll
Ever Need” is the song that closes Brave New World and is a special treat from
Contante & Sonante to the lovers of West Coast pop. The song was written in
the early nineties by composer and keyboardist Michael Haddad, who demoed it
with lead vocals by the late, unforgettable Warren Wiebe. Those precious vocals
were kindly granted by Haddad to Contante & Sonante that asked GIG to
record a whole new backing track for the song. The result is a new recording of
“All I'll Ever Need” that perfectly fits the soft-rock atmosphere of Brave New
World. Once again, Contante & Sonante has made a great move to keep Wiebe's
memory alive. Listening to his pristine vocal on “All I'll Ever Need” will
bring a big smile to the faces of those who loved him and his unique gift of
song.
This amazing
record created by Goodrum, Innis and Gaitsch is clear evidence that great,
inventive, emotional pop music is still alive and well.
Released in
a limited edition of only 1000 copies.