Greyhound George Band - No Time To Cry (CD)

Greyhound George is now in his sixties. When he was young he kept it with the motto "I hope I die before I get old", but now he is glad that he was able to experience all the years in which he was able to gain plenty of human and musical experience. 45 years of band and performance experience, hundreds of songs written, concerts in the most diverse constellations, inspiring but also disillusioning encounters with blues heroes and role models, in Westphalia it takes time to form an artistic personality.
Most of that time went under the radar, unnoticed by the wider public. This is inevitable if you, as a German, deal with styles of music such as blues, skiffle, soul and reggae and are also firmly rooted in East Westphalia. In recent years, however, the blues-interested audience listens a little more closely when the name "Greyhound George" is mentioned. Is it because of George's skills on the guitar or because of his songs? Some American colleagues say of the latter that they wonder why something like this isn't written in the USA anymore. Maybe it's his stage presence that got him to the finals of the "International Blues Challenge" in Memphis. There are even people who say he's a good singer. Or maybe it's just because he's had enough time to carefully develop his style.
Even changing trends and tendencies in the music business can no longer faze Greyhound George. While many younger artists hardly think it is contemporary to make an album, George and his band put together a whole trilogy from 2020 to 2022, which summarizes his musical development and at the same time spans the earthy Chicago blues to funk and soul influenced titles to almost pop sounds.
With "No Time To Cry" the third part of this trilogy is now being released by Timezone Records. The 13 songs on the album are written from a mature perspective, from someone who doesn't have to do everything anymore because he doesn't have that much time left in life. They neither follow any trend nor limit themselves to a single way of playing the blues. Rather, like its two predecessors, it is an "album" in the best sense of the word. There are danceable numbers like
"I've Got The Blues For You" and "My Buddy Buddy Friends" as well as thoughtful songs like "Simple Man's Blues" with a strong jazz influence and "No Excuses Anymore", a more spherical guitar blues. A few rough shuffles like "All You Can Eat" and "Gone For Good" are of course also included. Songs like "If It Wasn't For You" and "Fake Reality" are more soulful. Of course, Greyhound George wrote the horn sections on the album himself. He also learned that at some point along the way.
A great stroke of luck for George is this band! The guys are adept at all musical waters, since they've been touring the country's stages for as long as George himself. They're not only able to implement all of George's musical ideas, but always add a little more to them. They have known each other for years from the blues sessions in Bielefeld and therefore understand each other blindly. The resulting groove is also present in every song on "No Time To Cry" and makes it difficult for the listener to simply sit still once they have got involved. Maybe that's the reason why the band, which has been touring concerts and festivals all over Germany since 2019, was nominated as "best band" for the Blues Award and took second place in the "German Blues Challenge 2022". The band has just as much fun on stage as the audience. Listen to "No Time To Cry" and you'll know why!

01 Too Tired
02 No Time To Cry
03 I've Got The Blues For You
04 All You Can Eat
05 No Excuses Anymore
06 The Road
07 crosswind
08 My Buddy Buddy Friends
09 Live Your Life
10 Simple Man's Blues
11 Gone For Good
12 False Reality
13 If It Wasn't For You