Lots of bands pay tribute to the music of the 1950s and 60s. It’s not a hard thing to list or mention your influences. The challenge is in actually nailing the sound. If you’re too faithful, you sound like a cover band. If you’re too progressive, the spirit of the original is lost. And that’s what’s so impressive about GA-20’s Lonely Soul. They perfectly capture retro sounds while also managing to sound contemporary.
GA-20 is led by singer/guitarist Pat Faherty and Matthew Stubbs, the guitar player for harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite. Their sound has a lot of Black Keys influences, from the soul to the lack of a bass player, but GA-20 swings a bit more, feeling more like a classic blues band and less like garage rock, although both genres share a certain wonderful raggedness. GA-20’s songs are made up of pieces that fit together perfectly, but not seamlessly. You’re always aware of the different parts of the song, and the parts complement each other, but you can also readily identify the different components to each song.
“My Soul” bobs over competing guitar parts. One part is tremolo-pulled, creating a sense of uncertainty in the song, while another, just slightly quieter, devotedly plays a simple blues riff, serving out the bass duties. Both keep a rhythm that while not opposed to what the drums are doing, seem in much less of a hurry. But where the song shines is in the background vocals, which manage to sound like Motown and a harmonica at the same time. It’s an incredibly cool effect that feels old-fashioned, especially given the context of the song, but that also feels unique to Faherty and Stubbs.
Musselwhite and Americana stalwart Luther Dickinson guest-star on “Naggin’ On My Mind,” a tottering track that has a classic blues groove and a contemporary production aesthetic. Musselwhite’s harmonica playing provides a surprising depth and energy to the song, given he’s 75, and you kind of wish he’d stick around for more of the album, the rare guest you want to stay longer.
It’s also interesting to hear GA-20 tear into older songs. Their cover of Slim Harpo’s “Got Love If You Want It” doesn’t stray too far from the original, mostly replacing Harpo’s harmonica riff with shimmery electric guitar. Interestingly, both Harpo and GA-20 have a muddiness to their vocals. It works well for both tracks, but it’s funny to think that Harpo’s vocal dirt is the result of production limitations, while GA-20, with all of the tools of 21st-century production, are simply doing it because it sounds so cool.
Lonely Soul is the product of true music fans and it shows across all of the album’s tracks. Faherty and Stubbs obviously love classic blues and soul, but grew up with rock and roll. All of those influences integrate in an organic way to create an album that sounds old-fashioned but doesn’t feel like it’s trying to sound old-fashioned. That’s just how GA-20 is wired.
