The Gordons
Time Will Tell Our Story

Review By Steven Stone
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CD Number: SugarHill Records BBH-122

  The tradition of husband and wife duos goes back to the early roots of country music with the Carter family, and has been a staple of Americana ever since. Roberta and Gary Gordon's latest release Time Will Tell Our Story shows why this musical form has been so enduring. No amount of technical flash or studio wizardry can conjure up the magic of true musical intimacy.

Since 1974 Roberta and Gary Gordon have been performing throughout the Midwest. Their original band featured Gary on lead guitar and dobro with Roberta on autoharp. During the next 28 years they have continued the same basic formula -- old time country string-band music performed in an unaffected and heartfelt manner. During their career they have played with bluegrass greats including Josh Graves and Kenny Baker, but their music is not so much bluegrass as old time country. Time Will Tell Our Story, their eighth release, features ten original songs along with tunes by Bill Monroe, Holly Tashian, Si Kahn, and Noah Gordon. Sidemen include Alison Brown and Bill Cross on banjo, Katsuyuki Miyazaki and Mark Stoffel on mandolin, Robert Bowlin on fiddle, Curtis Jay, Ross Sermons, and Wil Maring on upright bass, and Holly Tashian and Noah Gordon on background vocals.

To understand what the Gordons can do with a song, just listen to their rendition of the traditional tune "John Barleycorn." It opens with a short fiddle introduction before Gary and Roberta begin their modally based dual lead vocals. Taken at a bit slower pace than other versions of the song, the Gordons wring an extra bit of plaintive expression from this old standard. The sound here also has a slightly old-timey rustic edge. With analog harmonic balance and clarity, the final total effect is relaxed and homey.

Tired of fast-paced feel-good pap with no more depth than a tinker toy rolling across a dusty floor? The Gordons Time Will Tell Our Story is a fine antidote to the rootlessness of so much contemporary pop music.

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