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McKay, Gus: Talisman
 Australian Gus McKay is not your typical blues rocker. Sure, he plays lots of guitars, blows the harmonica and sings about hard times. But Talisman is a dark and moody record that also incorporates elements of world music and alt-jazz with an array of eclectic instrumentation. The result is an earthy dose of blues-based rock and roots that reflects McKay’s real-life experiences as a farmer.
He sings in a weathered voice that at times recalls Mark Knopfler (especially on parts of the eerie opener, “Art of Living”), and he often shares the spotlight with members of his edgy band, who know when to invoke incredibly impressive restraint. Bouzouki, banjo, fiddle, cello and trumpet enhance the album’s organic sound, and taken as a whole, McKay draws comparisons to Otis Taylor, another unconventional bluesman.
Don’t expect Talisman to liven up a party, though. This is best listened to in a dark room, candles burning and whiskey flowing.
Track Listing:
1. Art of Living
2. Fallen Down
3. Hundred Acres
4. Piawaning Suit
5. The Man
6. Muse
7. Bohemian Life
8. Murchison Sequel
9. Gin Gin Morning
10. Last Dance
Added: July 21st 2024
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score:  
Related Link: Official Gus McKay Website
Hits: 992
Language: english
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McKay, Gus: Talisman
Posted by Jon Neudorf, SoT Staff Writer on 2024-07-21 21:45:06
My Score:
Gus McKay is an Australian guitarist/singer/songwriter and has been releasing albums since 1999 beginning with his debut titled All About Flight. This review explores his fifth album titled Talisman, released in 2017. Yes, it is 2024, so I did have to search the vaults at the sans Neudorf household, dust this one off and give it a few listens.
Gus started out playing live in the early ‘80s, in a punk-rock vein. Like the Australian continent, McKay’s 2017 release is earthy and gritty, encompassing folk, roots, blues, and touches of psychedelic. The musician plays a variety of guitars, whether electric, acoustic, or dobro, his tones always at the song’s heart. And there is a lot of heart in this music beginning with the first track “Art Of Living”. Slowly evolving guitar chords and vocals in the vein of Bob Dylan or Lou Reed take the song in an otherworldly roots’ music direction. The pedal steel invokes so much atmosphere, the cutting riffs at odds with the off-kilter drum patterns. With “Fallen Down” its blues music meeting head on with American psychedelic, the laid-back vocals and huge organ riffs leading into free form mind expanding discordance. On “Hundred Acres” a slow groove and rumbling guitar noise has an almost motorized sound that meshes nicely with McKay’s disparate and fragile voice. Quite esoteric and totally engaging. Sweet banjo and dobro highlight the pure blues of “Piawaning Suit” and in “The Man” it’s all bluesy, swamp filled grit, playful and off the wall. The jazzy tenor sax solo in “Muse” and the esoteric blues of “Murchison Sequel” are both excellent as well.
Talisman is a stellar roots-blues album, one I will listen to often. As such, it’s a well deserved four stars.
The musicians:
Gus McKay (guitar, vocals, harp)
Ronan Charles (drums, percussion, keyboards, tenor sax, taishokoto)
Phil Waldron (bass, double bass, pedal steel, bouzouki, banjo, fiddle, trumpet, cello)
Paul “Pax” Andrews (tenor sax solo on “Muse”)
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