Steve Gunn – Time Off

There is some music that just makes you feel safe and secure, like a warm blanket or a cat curled up on your chest ... hence Time Off, a lazy effortless etherial loose grouping of songs from Steve Gunn [half of Gunn-Truscinski Duo, and an on again off again member of Kurt Vile’s Violators] that won’t lay waste to your soul, but will spark you down an unexpected path with a gentle breeze at your back.

Gunn’s music is beyond comfortable here, it’s almost lackadaisical, harking back images of the legendary J.J. Cale. Gunn, who like J.J. Cale, sets about to deliver expressive songs with nimble picking and refrained accents which rely heavily on patterns that sound improvised and off the cuff, while hosting a gentle groove that’s as wearable as a faded snap button denim shirt.

There are many who are going to want to draw comparisons to John Fahey, and that’s completely understandable ... though the fact of the matter is that Steve Gunn brings an innocence to his music, a characteristic that totally eluded Fahey, who’s sound was both measured and structured for maximum effect.

It would be easy to say that Steve Gunn’s work is unrefined, but that’s just not true, his circular organic motion brings back near forgotten images of the American Beauty album by The Grateful Dead, and album that was nearly undefinable at the time - and so is Time Off, ... a tender collection of songs that will redefine you, and the moment you’re in.

Review by Jenell Kesler