It’s said that Diana Ross greeted Kiss drummer Peter Criss with the observation “You’re that white guy who sings black”. Criss, equal to the rhetorical task, retorted “And you’re that black singer who sings white”.
Fraser A Gorman is a young guy from the surf coast of Victoria, a location as geographically and cultural distant from the American South as Paris is to Beijing. But to listen to Gorman’s debut eponymous EP, or if you’re really lucky to see him perform live, is to witness someone in spell-bounding empathy with the melodic and narrative style of the American country-blues and folk tradition.
On Hold You Gorman is slick and soulful hipster from Nashville central casting, seducing the crowd with a wink and a tune; on Take Me To The Grave, Gorman is mature beyond his years, hanging out with Levon Helm in Arkansas pondering the collage of life, spirituality and mortality that secular beings can never truly comprehend. Hummingbird is a celebration of nature in its raw emotional state, a moment of pure joy with the light of the Grand Ol’ Opry shining through for all to see; My Old Friend channels the spirit of Elvis in his natural, bashful state.
Four songs later, and it’s all over for the time being. The potential energy lingers in the air like a thunderstorm waiting to break. As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, there’ll be more Fraser A Gorman goodness to come.
BY PATRICK EMERY
Best Track: Hold You
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: THE BAND, HANK WILLIAMS, MERLE HAGGARD
In A Word: Impressive
