Gail and the Tricksters - "Dare to Be Different"
By Marji Chess
We've all heard the old saying "you can't judge a book by the cover". In the case of this CD perhaps you can get an idea of what's inside. The bright, fiery, eye-catching cover matches the lively ear-catching fare found within. Amazingly it's an actual photo, not a montage. Gail Lloyd's group of true-to-form rockabilly Tricksters has reached its stride this time out. The assuredness of the players and Gail's confident handle on her stylistic leanings bring listeners her best work to date. Things are hopping on this record from the get-go. Lloyd's lead vocals carry the mood right where it should be. She fits comfortably into her rockabilly girl persona, complete with little asides like "go cat go" as a guitar solo begins and other fun, free-feeling touches. The musicians in this band are some of Nashville's coolest, Walter Egan handles the lead guitar, Supe Granda is the bass player, steady super-grooving Kathy Burkly is drumming and Steve Haggard blows harp and sings back-up. You can't go wrong with that lineup. A few of the tracks were recorded "live" at Nashville's 5 Spot and they display even more frolicking than the already uplifted swing and sway of the studio tracks. It's all good. If you can listen to Gail sing about "rockabilly robots from outer space" and not chuckle, you need your funny bone repaired. The infectious toe-tapping nature of this album makes it clear that this record was made for good times by people having them.
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