January 2005 MidWestBands.com
Musicianship – 8 out of 10
Doug Gordon’s music is well executed. I don’t always like the particular voice he chooses for his guitar, or for the tone of his singing voice. However, he is definitely capable of playing guitar and singing. I tend to prefer the sound of his voice when he sings in lower registers, but that is just my personal feeling. I also like Doug’s acoustic guitar work better than his electric stuff, because I feel like the acoustic is a better vehicle to convey the emotion in his songs!
Together with his band, he has assembled a collection of songs that are varied perhaps in tempo, but not in their inspiration. All are written from the perspective of a man who is paying tribute to the special times, things and people in his life. As such, the music is also special, and I will avoid being hyper-critical about every note and rhythm. When a song speaks to a person, the music is often least important, and I think the fact that Doug’s music speaks to people is what makes his songs special.
Songwriting – 8.5 out of 10
As I mentioned above, you don’t have to listen to Doug’s CD long to understand that his songwriting is inspired predominantly by the people who have touched his life. He writes about his father (War Heroes), his children (Follow Your Dreams), his wife (You Mean Everything to Me), and his fans (Superstar (I Love You)). His lyrical content is definitely inspired by meaningful things in his life; because of that, you get brief glimpses behind the curtain of Doug Gordon, the everyday guy!
With regard to the musical aspect of the songwriting, my only advice would be to reduce the length of the songs. The songs are all good, but
if the extraneous jams and solos were taken out, I think the songs would be more effective communication tools! Extra instrumental breaks are usually reserved for the concert hall; on CD, I think the songs need to be as compact as possible. In fact, if the songs on
this CD were around 3-4 minutes long, instead of the existing 5-6 minutes, I would definitely have enjoyed them more! Just my two cents worth! Give the album a listen, and see what you think!
Sound Quality/Professionalism - 8 out of 10
Without a doubt, I think this is a good-sounding record! Every instrument sounds full and rich, and comes across loud and clear. In addition, the vocals are done well, and don’t get buried in the mix. Small flaws exist (and will always exist), but all in all, I am pleased with the professional sound. Rich Belkin definitely earned his money as the engineer/producer on this record!
Packaging – 8 out of 10
I like the fact that Doug Gordon took the time to send us a promotional copy of his CD that looked very professional! It came in a jewel case, with touches like cover art and a track listing! Many times when bands send us promo copies of their CDs, it means that they will be sending a burned copy with no label, a paper envelope, and a track listing written on the CD in permanent marker. Doug took the time to send us a good-looking CD! There aren’t any lyrics printed on the CD insert, but they are available on his website (the URL is also included on the back cover), so I didn’t have any trouble finding them! Put simply, I liked the packaging, and think that if he chose to use it for the retail release, it would work really well!
Favorite Tracks
Oneonta
War Heroes
Angel of My Life
You Mean Everything To Me
Overall Rating – 8 out of 10
In looking at Doug Gordon’s pictures, and hearing his voice, I can definitely tell that he is a child of the 80’s! He has the flair in his music that made that decade famous (especially the Power Pop/Hard Rock bands like Extreme and Tesla). Ironically, it’s the softer acoustic songs on the album that I like a lot! I appreciate the sentiment behind the songs, and happen to feel like he does his best work when he tones it down, and wears his heart on his sleeve. The best example of this is the song (Oneonta), which I feel is probably the best song on the album!
Definitely check this self titled CD out! Doug Gordon is a good songwriter who would probably be fun to see in a live situation. Though I do wish the songs had been a bit shorter, they are still worth hearing! Make sure you buy a copy, or listen to the tunes on his website. You never know what kind of treasure you might find!
Mark Lush, Midwestbands.com, 1/27/05
May 2004
I sent a plain version of the CD (no artwork) to this freelance writer in Singapore who contacted me and asked to review it. This is what appeared on Fufkin.com by Kevin Matthews.
Doug Gordon Promotional CD (self-released)
There is a self-deprecating manner in which this CD is presented which belies the exceptional quality of the music found here. Austere it may be, but songs like the mildly psychedelic "No Regrets," the sweet "Angel of My Life" and the rustic "Oneonta"
indicate the tremendous potential that Gordon possesses literally at his fingertips. Someone give this guy a recording contract!
April 2006 - Inside Connection magazine
“The Doug Gordon Band came on and they were impressive. I think Bob Perry of RadioX kind of nailed their sound as being Axl Rose singing for a jam-rock band. A five-piece with drums, guitar, bass, keys and percussion, they put on a great live show.
June 2006 – Mike Ferrari: Inside Connection
The Doug Gordon Band took the stage. Fronted by Gordon, who sings and plays acoustic guitar, and made up of excellent musicians, The Doug Gordon Band plays a flavorful blend of jam-infused rock. I had seen them once before at the Hairy Lemon at a previous Spotlight Concert series and thought they had a good sound with its varied instrumentation: keyboard, sax, acoustic and electric guitars, drums and percussion.
The funny thing is, I have the band’s CD and, to be honest, it is pretty mellow stuff, but The Doug Gordon Band rocks pretty hard and their sound has much more edge to it, which I prefer. Gordon tells me the next CD will have a bit more bite then the previous effort now that he has this new lineup firmly in place, which includes A.J. Riegger of
Last Charge of the Light Horse – another excellent band.
