An evocative drum riff teases us, before we are met with a dynamic blues meets rock and roll hybrid soundscape as Gary Dranow opens I’m a Man with a timeless energy and instrumental mastery.
After a luscious “hey” ad lib, we experience the impactful opening lyrics sung by Klym Apalkov, “I didn’t know how to be a man, didn’t have no father of my own, raised by my momma all by herself, gave me the best damn life that she could, with no man to look up to, so I fell into the wrong crowd…”
Many of us on planet Earth can relate to this tale. Life isn’t always super easy without some sort of guidance from a parental figure, and we appreciate how Gary and co. bring this to life with I’m a Man – sharing their wisdom and lived experience in the hopes of allowing those who listen, the chance to learn from the intentional creators.
Speaking ever so succinctly on the release, Gary tells us, “This is a down and dirty blues tune with a great Blues Harp section. The harp was played by Joel Marshall out of the UK.”
Naturally, Joel’s performance is out of this world, adding a dimensionality and authenticity to the opus that we deeply appreciate. The track is in fact the only blues tune on Gary’s new album Never Give Up, once again showcasing the divergent multi-genre approach to song creation that Gary boasts with The Manic Emotions’s diverse sound, and his new project Astralix.
We love what Gary has to offer the world as an artist. There is simply nobody else like him out there, creating consistently and expansively. We have added I’m a Man to our New Music Spotlight and new TIMELESS playlists, whilst we continue to stream Gary Dranow‘s wider discography and await future tunes from the visionary artist.