Tim Gartland - Right Amount of Funky (2025)

This 8-tune set possesses the Right Amount of Funky This is Tim’s 6th LP since 2011 & he mixes it up jubilantly with blues, soul, roots rock & reggae. Each song has its message or story rather than just tunes to “create a groove.” The songs do have their own way of maintaining liveliness & intensity. The Ohio-born & Nashville-based Gartland has been listening to the blues since he was 13 & he’s quite proficient.

This 8-tune set possesses the Right Amount of Funky produced by Andy Peake & Tim & recorded in Nashville, TN. What’s interesting for the uninitiated is how Tim utilizes his deeply dipped, experienced, bruised blues vocal. It reeks of sincerity through each number. He sounds like an old blues master. Has a B.B. King influenced guitarist & slinky sexy female vocalists supporting “Waste A Worry,” a well-cooked blues.produced by Andy Peake & Tim & recorded in Nashville, TN. What’s interesting for the uninitiated is how Tim utilizes his deeply dipped, experienced, bruised blues vocal. It reeks of sincerity through each number. He sounds like an old blues master. Has a B.B. King influenced guitarist & slinky sexy female vocalists supporting “Waste A Worry,” a well-cooked blues.

So, these blues aren’t so much The Paul Butterfield Blues Band or Canned Heat. It’s far closer in spirit on “Right Amount of Funky,” to the deep growl perfection of the late John Lee Hooker with a touch of John Baldry. Gartland’s harmonica is warmer than Butterfield & the guitars are surprisingly melodic for a blues song. It all works well & never falls victim to pop sensibility.

The entire band chugs along nicely through each song & never sounds like a jam session. They play with enough finesse not to slide into overachiever land. There’s no Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, or Mike Bloomfield flashiness. The concentrated effort is more in the spirit of traditional blues. The interplay between musicians & the imaginative playing is captivating.

There’s some bluesy insouciance — there are no political overtones, big messages, or lessons. It’s life as it is. “Walk Away” is sung with the vocal-slurry not unlike a Mick Jagger & the female vocalizing as rich as the Raelettes with Ray Charles. This is a good, cool tune. Sung & played with depth & would put a respective smile on the faces of veteran bluesman like Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson I or II, Furry Lewis, Hooker or T. Bone Walker. Yeah, these guys would like it.