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Austin harpist has unique sound
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This review first appeared in the Fall 1993 edition of Blues Revue Quarterly magazine (now Blues Revue).
Austin's Gary Primich is a singer-harpist in an electric blues mold. A better harmonica player than singer, Primich offers an enthusiastic if not quite polished package of blues, R&B and boogie on this release.
Primich has a unique sound on harp, with a rhythmic nasal grunting that lends to his playing a certain primal feel.
He wrote most of the songs on this album, and all of these are mainstream and melodic blues with plenty of room for solos. (Side note: "Stonebroke" is nearly identical to "Little Mixed Up," which Sue Foley recorded on her Austin-based Antone's Records debut, recorded at about the same time as this album. Somebody borrowed something from somewhere.)
The band is solid, with Shorty Lenoir having a particularly nice touch on guitar. Lenoir's big, fat sound hints at an electric hollow-body, and complements Primich. Lenoir's fills and solos always defer to Primich, never stealing the spotlight.
If there is a complaint, it's that the sound mix is mushy. While Primich's vocals and harp are clear, the rest of the band gets lost in the background.