Peter Anthony Gales

It is no coincidence that Eric Gales is listed as providing "guitar and vocals" rather than "vocals and guitar" in the credits of The Story of My Life. While Gales is a competent singer, he is an excellent guitarist; what one hears on The Story of My Life and previous Gales releases is really singing in service of guitar playing rather than guitar playing in service of singing. Of course, competent doesn't mean weak or bad – and while Gales' vocal chops aren't in a class with his guitar chops, he has no problem getting his emotional points across on this 2008 release. The Story of My Life finds Gales forming a power trio with bassist Steve Evans and drummer Jeremy Colson; comparisons to the Jimi Hendrix Experience (one of the 1960s' most influential power trios) are inevitable, and there is no getting around the fact that Hendrix is a huge influence throughout this blues-rock/hard rock/psychedelic rock CD.

Eric Gales was hailed as the second coming of Jimi Hendrix when he first hit the blues circuit, an anointment that carries with it impossible pressures, and while Gales is a wonderful guitarist (naturally right-handed, he was taught to play the guitar left-handed, an odd thing, but again, Hendrix-like), he isn't Hendrix, nor will he or anyone ever be. Working out of the power trio format, Gales has more than proven he can play on his many albums, but his voice is average at best, and his songs tend toward the generic, often more like vehicles for guitar leads than actual songs that are crying out to be sung. That's why Ghost Notes is so intriguing, because it's Gales' first all-instrumental album, and therefore it bypasses his weaknesses as a performer and plays to his strengths – the man sure can play guitar.

One of the most respected and praised guitarists in modern music returns with a monster new album featuring 12 powerhouse blues rock masterpieces! Known for his upside-down left-handed playing as well as his deeply expressive, soulful vocals, Gales draws comparisons to both Jimi Hendrix and blues legend Albert King! Guest appearances by renegade Zakk Wylde (of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society) and master of the Strat, Eric Johnson, make this album Gales most rock oriented release to date!

Eric Gales was already guitar wiz at 16 years old in 1991 when his debut album appeared from Elektra Records, and his immense skill and talent have certainly not diminished since. This set, released by Cleopatra Records and produced by Raphael Saadiq, is vintage blues-rock and features guest spots from Eric Johnson and Zakk Wylde.

Middle of the Road is Eric Gales fourth album on Provogue/Mascot label Group after Transformation (2011), Relentless (2010) and The Psychedelic Underground (2007) and it sees him at his most expressive yet; it is a deeply personal and reflective record that echoes where he is in his life right now and he opens himself up and allows himself the chance to really flourish. Middle of the Road is the running theme throughout the record. "It's about being fully focused and centered in the middle of the road. If you’re on the wrong side and in the gravel you're not too good and if you're on the median strip that's not too good either, so being in the middle of the road is the best place to be", according to Eric. Along the way he brings in not only a host of guest and collaborators, but also those closest to him: Lauryn Hill, Gary Clark Jr, Eugene Gales, LaDonna Gales, Lance Lopez, Raphael Saadiq and Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram.

Eric Gales is a blues firebrand. Over 30 years and 18 albums, his passion for the music and his boundless desire to keep it vital has never waned, even when his own light dimmed due to his substance struggles. Five years sober, creatively rejuvenated, and sagely insightful, Eric is ready for the fight of his career. Aptly, he calls his masterful new album, out January 2022 on Provogue/Mascot Label Group, Crown. The songs are delivered with clarity and feature Eric's personal experiences and hope for positive change. In addition, the 16-track collection boasts his finest singing, songwriting, and his signature guitar playing that burns throughout. Produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, this is Eric at his most boldly vulnerable, uncompromisingly political, and unflinchingly confident.

This recording of Handel's Acis and Galatea (or Acis und Galatea) features the German translation and arrangement completed by Mozart in Vienna circa 1788, per the instructions of the Baron Gottfried von Swieten to "modernize" Handel's pieces - including Alexander's Feast, Messiah, Ode for St. Cecilia's Day, and Acis and Galatea. Mozart kept much of Handel's original string arrangements, but proceeded to layer harmonies with a degree of sophistication that Handel could only have dreamed of.

The story of the innocent Susanna–whose nude bathing in a stream so excited two elders in her community that they charged her with all sorts of dirty things–is from the Apocrypha. Near the story's close, the young Israelite Daniel, clearly a budding lawyer, disproves the elders' claims by having each explain certain details without the other in the room. (In the Carlisle Floyd version, there's a twist, and the ending is horrifyingly different.) The story, as Handel and his unknown librettist tell it, takes more than two and a half hours. What we get in place of nail-biting drama is a marvelous portrait of the chaste Susanna, her trusting husband, Joacim, and the lascivious elders. There's also a great concentration on the plot's rural setting. Arias are filled with nature–Handel offers us a lovely pastoral setting, with a could-be-tragic story at its core; but neither Nature nor Susanna's good nature wind up sullied.