Tim Gartland - Right Amount of Funky
by Kevin Wierzbicki
Tim Gartland has an incredibly deep, bass tone to his voice. Not quite the "voice of God," but Gartland's voice has a quality that instantly grabs the listener and that makes every line rich with gravitas. So when he sings about losing his job and his woman on "Waste a Worry" the frustration is palpable; you can almost feel his heart breaking. On title cut "Right Amount of Funky" Gartland tunes in to a Dr. John-style groove with his mid-song harmonica solo (and electric guitar solo from Robert Frahm) adding to the earthiness of the shuffle. The self-explanatory "A Better Life" is southern funk too but its hopeful words are delivered over a gentle melody whereas "...Funky" has an eerie edge. Some will hear echoes of Creedence Clearwater Revival in "Walk Away" while the love song "If This Ain't Heaven" bops to a sound reminiscent of something that Jimmy Buffett might have done. Gartland heads to the islands for "Alone Times," a song set to a reggae beat and with all the cool hallmarks of that genre; "About to Cry" is the album's quiet moment that's perfectly suited for a slow dance. Closing cut "Stop Working Me" is a plea for the hustlers of the world to jump back; it is an earnest request that is heavy with emotion but not threatening. Gartland's harp work is superb on this eight song set of self-penned or co-written blues and R&B tunes but all the way through, it's that voice. Oh, that voice!
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