Heather Gillis Band
Heather Gillis Band
Independent Release, 2016
I’m gonna come out and say it. A lot of blues artists are flippin’ lazy. Relying too much on cliché moves as well as tried and true form. They become a watered down version of whoever it was who initially inspired them to commit to 
the medium.
Heather Gillis and the band she helms manage to sidestep this problem entirely. Currently residing in Tallahassee, she is attending FSU and had been part of Butch Trucks and The Freight Train Band. Just about everything on here is a surprise. For how strong the musicianship is, the great arrangements, and the decidedly wonderful and unexpected turns the music takes. Just when does she find the time to be this great?
“Soul” opens with a compelling groove with a loose feel, and showcases her smoky, yearning vocals.
“100 MPH” pushes with a relentless drive and a gritty, dark guitar tone. The song has a great cinema noir quality, complete with incendiary guitar lead.
“I Found a Love” is the other side of that coin. Bright and cheery with a sparkling saxophone coloring throughout. Remember what I said about form? “Gonna Be A Storm” offers a new version of an old riff that’s been unearthed from searching deep in a muck filled swamp. It’s groove is slippery and stubborn.
This disc is filled with charm and personality to spare. Gillis writes and performs with deft skill that belies her youth.