Colin Gilmore
The Day the World Stopped and Spun the Other Way (Squirm)
Reviewed by Christopher Gray, Fri., March 5, 2004
Colin Gilmore
The Day the World Stopped and Spun the Other Way (Squirm) A product of Austin's burgeoning wave of second-generation tunesmiths, Colin Gilmore's lengthily titled debut is evidence that songwriting talent can be as genetic as hair or eye color. Like dad Jimmie Dale, Gilmore possesses a dulcet, slightly nasal lilt and the ability to mine mystical truths from matters of the heart. "The Beautiful Waitress" is just that, a chance encounter with a fetching food-server, but Gilmore's breezy charm is so infectious it even excuses wince-worthy lines like, "It's not silly when she brings you your chili." An even better example is "Slippin," a swooning romp containing the memorable turn of phrase "you picked me up and threw me into afterglow." Calling Gilmore a singer-songwriter wouldn't quite be telling the whole story, however, because The Day also rocks with a rootsy fervor that at times approaches true rapture. Organist/accordionist Bukka Allen, himself the son of Lubbock sage Terry Allen, is particularly invaluable, turning opener "Good Times Stay" into a frisky, Cajun-inflected spin around the dance floor and "The Way We Are" into a lively Celtic reel. Gilmore and band even give the Clash's wealth-redistribution anthem "White Man in Hammersmith Palais" a stiff dose of South Plains soul. With this exuberant LP debut, Gilmore takes his place alongside locals J.T. Van Zandt, Tucker Livingston, and Django Walker as artists trading on their own merits and not their fathers' names. (Friday, March 19, 8pm @ Momos)