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Tabulate (v., TAB-you-late)

To caluclate data, especially to arrange it into a table. May or may not include the use of commas.

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Gary Clark Jr. - This Land

’ve tried writing something about Gary Clark Jr.’s new album twice, and each time it’s ended up being less about the album than about some angle on the album. This is not unexpected. All great artists are misunderstood, and Clark often feels the victim of someone trying to make him something other than what he is. His early albums have contributed to this by dabbling in different styles, but on This Land, Clark’s latest album, the styles converge into a clear, excellent artistic statement.

Gary Clark Jr. didn’t arrive fully formed, but he arrived fully in a form. He seemed like Stevie Ray Vaughan mixed with Jimi Hendrix for the new generation: blues-rock guitarists with a flair for pyrotechnics. Vaughan and Clark idolized Hendrix. Clark grew up in Austin like Vaughan and played at Antone’s, the local club Vaughan famously frequented. With his mixture of blistering guitar pyrotechnics and beautiful tone, Clark seemed poised to take the mantle of rock’s new greatest guitarist.

But there were always clues that he didn’t fully want that. Clark’s debut, Black and Blu, has songs from a few different genres. Clark has played tracks with a drum machine—anathema to blues musicians—and was always interested in throwing his guitar into whatever song it worked on. Childish Gambino? Sure. The Foo Fighters? That too. Tom Morello? Sheryl Crow? Alicia Keys? Talib Kweli? All within his wheelhouse.

On This Land, those influences sharpen. Perhaps it was being more settled in his career. Perhaps it was touring with neo-soul artist Michael Kiwanuka. Perhaps it was binging on Curtis Mayfield and Prince albums. Whatever the case, Clark feels like he’s solidified himself as a guitarist who uses blues as a backdrop for other intersecting genres. This is not what fans of blues like. They may not be jazz fans in their formal conservatism, but they’re not far off. This is also why there’s not many of them. Clark is smart, but mercifully, he’s not calculated. When he dabbles in a genre, it feels natural.

And boy, does This Land have fun songs. The aforementioned Prince influence shows up on swaggering “Feelin’ Like a Million” and the gentle “Pearl Cadillac.” Curtis Mayfield shows his sway on “Feed The Babies” and “I Walk Alone.” “When I’m Gone” is another 60’s soul cut. But then there’s “Gotta Get Into Something,” which feels straight out of a Ramones playbook, and “The Governor” and “Dirty Dishes Blues” to be our blues comfort food.

The title track is the one getting the most attention. The story behind it: Clark bought a ranch in his native Texas. After moving in, he met a neighbor, who expressed astonishment that Clark, a black man, had the means to purchase the ranch. Clark responds in a fury. “---- you, I’m America’s son / this is where I come from,” he fires. For a musician who has eschewed this kind of verbal and lyrical force, this is easily the most bracing songwriting he’s done to date. But then it’s done and the album moves onto the sly, frisky “What About Us.” The throughline of This Land is the laser focus of the title track, not its sentiment. Clark chose to let that stand alone, and it underscores the song’s snarl.

I’ve respected Gary Clark Jr. for a while, but this is the first album of his I’ve loved. For the first time, he has a bunch of songs that are all worthy of his guitar. And he’s gotten even more nuanced with his playing, opting for tone, layers, and clean lines over extended solos. He’s grown up, right before our eyes, and everybody’s listening to the guitar man.

Note: adult language in video below

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