Grandpa Walked a Picketline
Artist: Otis Gibbs 
Label: Thirty Tigers
Length: 12/48:47

Otis Gibbs is as Americana as Americana gets.  From touring the country for fifteen years to sleeping in hobo camps to civil disobedience in many forms, his songs portray a different America, reminding that not everyone in this country is part of the ipod and Internet culture.  In some ways, this makes him sound dated, but his Steve Earle meets Todd Snider vocals betray a world weariness that rings as authentic as the Steinbeck type characters he writes about.

“Caroline” is a gruff tale of a woman trapped in an abusive relationship, living both in fear of her husband and the fear that she cannot make it on her own, and wondering if she’s passing on a similar legacy to her children.  “Everyday People” recalls past generations who fought for workplace rights, and remembers a time where unions were needed.  

“Preacher Steve” reveals a small town huckster who is equal parts carnival barker and reverend, a speaker of the health and wealth gospel, especially as applied to his own well being.  “Ain’t Nothing Special” is more in the Kris Kristofferson/B.J. Thomas vein, while “Long Black Thunder” is the male equivalent to Mary Gauthier’s gravel on a tin roof vocals.  “Honey Please” shows a man who has screwed up, knows it, and has thrown himself on the mercy of the court.  

Every few years, I get introduced to an artist who knocks me for a loop.  Otis Gibbs is one of those types, a singer so raw and honest and stark that it makes me take notice.  His niche may be too narrow for mainstream success, but he’s every bit the equal to Steve Earle on this disc.

Brian A. Smith
19 April 2009