Greyhound George No Time To Cry (CD)

(Timezone Records) 13 tracks, digisleeve - including brochure

Greyhound George is now also over sixty. While in his youth his motto was "I hope I die before I get old", he is now glad that he was able to experience all those years in which he was able to gather a wealth of human and musical experience.

45 years of band and performance experience, hundreds of written songs, concerts in the most diverse constellations, inspiring but also disillusioning encounters with blues heroes and role models - in Westphalia, it takes time to shape an artist's personality.

Most of this time passed under the radar, unnoticed by a wider public. That's probably inevitable when you're a German with musical styles such as blues, skiffle, soul and reggae and are also firmly rooted in East Westphalia. In recent years, however, the blues-interested public has been listening a little more closely when the name "Greyhound George" is mentioned. Is this due to George's skills on the guitar or his songs? Some of his American colleagues say that they wonder why such things are no longer written in the USA. Perhaps it's also down to his stage presence, which once got him through to the final of the "International Blues Challenge" in Memphis. There are even people who say he is a good singer. But perhaps it is simply because he has had enough time to carefully develop his style.

Even changing trends and tendencies in the music business can no longer upset Greyhound George. While many younger artists today hardly consider it contemporary to make an album, George and his band put out an entire trilogy from 2020 to 2022, which summarizes his musical development and spans an arc from earthy Chicago blues to funk and soul-influenced tracks to almost pop sounds.

With "No Time To Cry", Timezone Records is now releasing the third part of this trilogy. The 13 songs on the album are written from a mature perspective, by someone who no longer has to go through everything because he doesn't have that much time left in life. They do not follow any trends, nor do they limit themselves to a single style 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 rather 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. Greyhound George naturally wrote the horn sections on the album himself again. He also learned this at some point along the way.

This band is a great stroke of luck for George! The guys are well versed in all aspects of music, as they have been on the country's stages for just as long as George himself. They are therefore able to not only implement all of George's musical ideas, but always go that little bit further. 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 gotten into it. Perhaps this is the reason why the band, which has been touring concerts and festivals throughout Germany since 2019, was nominated for the Blues Award as "Best Band" 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!