Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Having had the honour of seeing Gary Gardener perform live, the music fan could take the news of an imminent release of an E.P. with great pleasure. In fact in some parts of the world the celebrations would be so great that they would be cleaning off the bunting off the streets for weeks! This though being Britain, restrained jubilance is always a key. For there would be nothing worse than taking a well-made pudding out of the oven and adding just another egg to the texture. Gary Gardner is worth more than that and the set of songs he has placed under the E.P. title of Privileged is not just a sign of things to come but the eye raising unrestricted look into a musician’s mind.

In recent months Mr. Gardner has made much of playing at one bar or venue after another, the social setting of Liverpool’s Brink as part of a charity evening, The Festival of Firsts that made Hoylake a great day’s worth of music and any number of nights in between. Listening in to people as they throw many a superlative compliment his way is heartening, it also means thankfully that he is no secret, at least not to those that follow these things with great interest or who can tear themselves away from having music piped down the television to them.

Privileged is as privileged does, but it is privilege with responsibility, the sense of accountability to the songs that you are releasing and understanding full well that they are not your children, they no longer belong to you, not completely anyway. Listening the songs on offer by Gary Gardner, you cannot but help be made aware of what these songs mean to him and how much, like every decent musician who has ever been in the position for the first time, it means to let them fly on their own.

Chiefly amongst these songs, Say Nothing, Human Kind and Someone’s Watching Over Me stand out as real gems, as dependable outpourings of life and trusted reliable conscious, songs that really get beneath the listeners psyche and maintain that healthy respect between musician and listener.

Privileged is as privilege does, listening to Gary Gardner should be seen as such, an unrestricted dance with someone quietly suggesting a better, quicker, more serene beat.           

Ian D. Hall