A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to visit George at his home in Southeast Michigan and to play a couple of songs with George. He was then on what would turn out to be the thankfully waning end of a too-long hiatus from music, so I was thrilled to know he’d started playing again and that I could be there to share it.
George has been making music for most
of his life, and it’s nothing short of a genuine delight to hear him singing,
and playing, and writing, better than ever. I’m a long-time friend and fan and
have played with George in a few bands, what now seems like ages ago, so all these
things comprise — and some might argue compromise — my objective prism,
but so be it. I’ll speak the truth as I hear it.
The album’s title, “In My Element,” is a clear double-entendre
of how George Heritier feels about where he is with his life and his music, and
the vehicle he drives between his home and the places he performs. In truth, and with all apologies to Honda, this album
just might be the vehicle that has so clearly driven George in this positive and purposeful
direction.
Throughout this latest recording, his original music is
featured and well presented. The only cover, so called, is “Michigan-I-O,” which
George has smartly spun into a simple and traditional a capella, which
perfectly frames his gorgeous voice through three modulations, in a compelling and stirring performance.
In the best traditions of folk music, George’s songs evoke
personal experiences and historical events, and George certainly has had some
experiences, let me tell you. But the experiences of which he sings so
truthfully here, while almost mundane when taken literally, are made to seem so
much more meaningful, so much more heartfelt in his hands and within his voice. These arrangements are as near to the folk tradition as one could hope, are
exactly all that’s necessary for each song, and when accompaniment and backing
vocals are used, they feature David Mosher on several traditional instruments,
as well as Bill Arnold on dobro, providing simple support to George’s already
ample foundations.
Throughout this work, George’s sense of humor and love of
word play are clearly on display as his songwriting just gets better and
better. His guitar playing is solid and strong and his 12-string sings along with chords so thick and lush they fairly flow from the speakers. Over
the years, George has developed a love of and an appreciation for yodeling, and, albeit
sparsely used on “In My Element,” it’s used to good effect. When you see him in
person, please encourage George to yodel more. His voice was made for it.
But it’s George’s harp playing that has always sent shivers
through me, that I’ve long felt to be his greatest strength, and his harp
playing on this effort is just so fine. What will remain one of my best memories
was produced one beautiful July Michigan evening, sitting on a beach,
listening to George sing and play harmonica out across the lake, song after
song after song.
I told George right then that I would love to play on his upcoming
recording, but what he’s accomplished with “In My Element” is, I believe, a
work exactly as he envisioned it, using exactly the instruments required for this
vision, playing exactly how and what his songs deserve, all resulting in exactly what George
needed to do to make this recording special, and it is special.
Just as with the wines he knows so well from his years of writing
about and tasting them for Gang of Pour, George’s tasteful work here will age
beautifully and taste even better with time. Yes, I’m biased, and I unashamedly
recommend this album.
Dear George… I’ll look forward to seeing you again
soon, to playing with you again soon, and to hearing subsequent releases, which
can’t come soon enough. Well done, my friend.
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