Record Review - Ash Grunwald

Published in the July issue of Rolling Stone.

Ash Grunwald

Gargantua

Shock

Given Ash Grunwald’s brand of blues has, over the past 12 years, flirted so heavily with rock ‘n’ roll, it was only a matter of time before something like this came to be. With The Living End’s Scott Owen and Andy Strachan backing him up, Gargantua sees Grunwald adding a heavier, dirtier string to his bow, a step in another direction.

Of course, these songs are drawing directly from the blues, and so Gargantua does have a very familiar feel to it, which makes parts of it feel secondhand. However, tracks like the stoner rock ‘Black And Blue’, the straight rocking ‘Mojo’, and Gnarles Barkley’s ‘Crazy’, give it a sharp, and timely, twist. It’s nothing new really, but it’s a decent exploration of a heavier element to Grunwald’s staple fare.

Samuel J. Fell

3/5

Key Tracks: Crazy, Black And Blue, Breakout