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Don Gallardo Still Here Review by Gary Hill More than anything else this is tied to the roots music movement. There is a lot of folk, country and other Americana here. It's all delivered with style. Beyond that there is quite a bit of variety from song to song. There are points that call to mind things from The Grateful Dead to Cracker and even jazz. I like this album quite a bit, really. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2018 Volume 5. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2018.

Track by Track Review

Something I Gotta Learn Coming in with a classic rock sound, this drops back for a stripped back vocal delivery. It's closer to a folk rock meets country texture for this song proper section. It gets back into the more powered up territory later in the piece. This reminds me just a little of Cracker.

Kicking Up The Pavement A more balladic number, imagine merging Tom Petty with Cracker and you'll be somewhere in the vicinity of this tune. It's packed with Americana textures.

Oh Jane There is a lot of class and style in this countrified number. It's not quite a ballad, but not really a rocker either.

Same Ol' Alley Talkin' Blues #12 Bluegrass, folk music and other types of Americana merge on this bouncy little number. In some ways this feels like something the Grateful Dead might have done. It's a fun one. I particularly dig the banjo.

The Golden Rule A slow moving, bluesy number, this is quite classy in texture. The female backing vocals add a lot to the mix. The electric guitar solo is particularly tasty.

The Losing Kind Even slower than the last cut, there is a real old school country vibe to this cut. The slide guitar really brings a lot of that texture, but the whole song manages to convey it. This is classy and has some cool piano.

Stay Awhile Old school jazz is on the menu here. This is a lot of fun. It has a real swing to it. Yet, within all of that I can make out some of that Grateful Dead thing again.

The Bitter End We're back into country territory here with a real down-home tune. I dig the classic guitar picking solo on this, and the piano jam is magic in a classic way, too.

I'll Never Be Alone There is a lot of folk music in the mix here. It's an intricate and intriguing cut that works really well.

A Boat Named Harmony (feat. Erin Rae) This duet is quite a tasty little number. It's probably more folk music than it is anything else.

Ballad Of A Stranger's Heart Retro folk rock and country are the driving elements on this tasty number. It has some retro organ textures, slide guitar and catchy hooks.

Trains Go By Mellow, slow moving and quite pretty, this is another folk Americana styled tune. It's so tasty.

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