With ten critically acclaimed albums, VANCE GILBERT continues to refine his unlikely union of humor, virtuosity, and the unexpected. Whether with classic, original songwriting or ageless interpretations of covers, his is a presentation steeped in deep humanism and bravery, stunning artistry and soul, and contagious, unbridled joy. Vance Gilbert burst onto the singer/songwriter scene in the early 90's when the buzz started spreading in the folk clubs of Boston about an ex-multicultural arts teacher who was knocking 'em dead at open mikes. The word spread of this Philadelphia-area born and raised performer to New York; Shawn Colvin invited Vance Gilbert to be a special guest on her Fat City tour. Gilbert took audiences across the country by storm.
Gilbert's three albums for the Rounder/Philo label - EDGEWISE (1994), FUGITIVES (1995), and the celebrated, arrestingly sparse SHAKING OFF GRAVITY (1998) - are all essential additions to the American singer-songwriter collection. With guests as varied as Tuck and Patti, Jonatha Brooke, Patty Larkin, Vinx, and Jane Siberry, all three albums found significant niches on NAC (New Adult Contemporary) and Non-Commercial A3 (Adult Album Alternative) radio. These discs were followed by the self-released SOMERVILLE LIVE (2000), his live recording lionized by the Boston Globe as the disc "young songwriters should study the way law students cram for bar exams," and ONE THRU FOURTEEN (2002), a stylistically varied offering that New York's Town and Village calls "lively, eclectic, electrifying and transcending."
Follow that with SIDE OF THE ROAD (2003), a duo album with Ellis Paul, lauded as "haunting, artful, and lovely" by Boston Magazine and nominated for a 2004 Boston Music Award. UNFAMILIAR MOON (2005) successfully follows. "The songwriter's most compelling work; literate, heartfelt, rippling...emotionally resonant songs" says the Boston Globe, placing the album in its' Top 10 CDs of the year (#4). Then came a year and a half as support for George Carlin, and exciting chapter in Gilbert's varied and successful performance history, leading up to the creation and recording of UP ON ROCKFIELD, a tour de force of borrowed styles showcasing classic Vance Gilbert original songwriting at its most timeless, compelling best. Gilbert unflinchingly renders blame and absolution, trapped hearts and free-riders, class and station, uncertainty and resolution, the spiritual and the visceral, the forever and the now. His is a presentation steeped in deep humanism and bravery,stunning artistry and soul, and unbridled joy. No great surprise to the learned acoustic listener. This is Vance Gilbert, after all...
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