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CD Review - Jimmy Gregory "West Along the Road"
Glasgow-born Jimmy Gregory has been working in Australia since 1983, first solo and then with bands like the High Notes and in 1994 the Hooligans with Alistair Hulett. Now he has his own group, the Hoolie Band, with members from the Hooligans and the High Notes, and his debut CD. This was well worth waiting for: it's a model of professionalism and relaxed good taste. There's a fey, winsome humour, reminiscent of Tom Paxton. Seven of the tracks are his own originals, including a Balkans-style planxty and Ghosts of the Past, about Port Arthur
Penal Settlement. How do our second and onwards-generations of emigrants make sense of who they are and where they find themselves, and why? This is one song in non-preachy words which attempts an answer. Just as good is Johnny Mulhern's The Blue Green Bangle, and for a chorus song in any club or gathering, there's the wonderful Ten Minutes Too Late.
As befits an offering from Tasmania/ Van Dieman's Land, there's a didjeridoo among the 11 backing musicians, but blended into an excellent balanced sound. The instrumentals are taken at an easy pace, with flavour and phrasing. For a quality hour's good listening with friends, you couldn't do much better than this.
August 1997
