Tom Gee Band
Album: Swapping Stories
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.tomgeemusic.com/

On the wall of my office I have a plaque. It reads "The really nice thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise and thus is not preceded by periods of worry and depression."

This is a very useful mantra for life and one that I also try to use for music. When I listen to a new artist or band that I know nothing about, I have no pre-conceived ideas of what to expect and so listen with a totally fresh set of ears. If that is physiologically possible that is! I therefore listened to the Tom Gee Band knowing absolutely nothing about them which is somewhat of a shame as I have now found out that like me they are based in Yorkshire.

I now know that this is an eight piece band comprising two ladies and six men. I should start by saying that I am a bit disappointed in the website which tells the visitor very little about the band. A missed opportunity here I think as this is a very talented bunch of musicians. Tight vocals, great musicianship, excellent and clear lyrics with brass thrown in too! Google describes the band as "A British Blues and Northern Soul funk outfit bringing a sweet soul, funk fusion." Quite possibly not the sort of music I would usually listen to which just shows how narrow my music tastes are.

Whenever I listen to a new album I usually listen to a few seconds of each track before delving deeper. I think this must be fairly normal as it is the principle that iTunes use as well. So I Iistened, skipped, enjoyed and went back to study. What did I find? A fabulous album with a great mix of styles and sounds. I come from an age gone by so I tend to compare current bands to those of my younger days. Tom Gee has a mix of so many good bands but with his own distinct style. The first sound that came to mind was Level 42 and then it was followed closely by Chicago, especially with the brass section. Even a bit of George Benson in there. The music has an all-day sound to it. By that I mean that it is just as good at any time of the day, morning, noon or night. There really is something here for everyone.

I think you could easily describe the band as a perfect mix of vocals and instruments. The brass section makes it just that bit different and is so much better for it. You may note that as yet they are unsigned and I have no idea why. One critic described them as "cool as hell." Perhaps not very polite but very accurate!

I would really like to be able to identify the best tracks on the album but they are all really good. There is not one that I do not like. Two of my favourites are "On my way" and Strongest hands." Both are good examples of the vocals and the musicianship of what is a very very good band. To make then even better they are from Yorkshire too, just like me. What more can I say? Go and buy the album, now available on iTunes and see them live if you can. I intend to as soon as possible.

So having written about the sounds of Level 42 and Chicago, we now have the sounds of the Tom Gee Band!

Rory M Stanbridge