Darkest Hour
The music of the Gibson Brothers possesses a magic that even surpasses the sum of its remarkable core ingredients. These include near-perfect brotherly harmonies that are powerful in their emotional persuasion and understatement, and original songs infused with conversational honesty and humanity that resonate like instant classics.
As such, Leigh and Eric are heirs apparent to such timeless sibling duos as the Everly Brothers and the Louvins. The raw emotion in their songs is sometimes almost painful to absorb, yet at the same time sweetly irresistible.
You can hear these qualities in the tortured “Heart’s Desire” (penned by Eric), the sadly empathetic “I Feel The Same Way As You” (Leigh) and the sorrowful “Your Eyes Say His Name” (Leigh).
“I Go Driving” (Eric) is the plaintive reverie of a man who finds temporary refuge from his troubles by revisiting memories of better times while driving alone at night. “This Good Day” (Eric) is a haunting and mysterious testimonial set against a stark western landscape.
For all this soul-searching The Darkest Hour also has its brighter moments. “My Darkest Hour” (Leigh) is about finding comfort and solace in a world full of strife and confusion. “Dust” (Eric) is a high-octane bluegrass romp with some sardonic and vividly conceived lyrics.
“One Minute of You” isLeigh’s heartfelt tribute to his daughter, Annie, and it will certainly appeal to parents whose children are preparing to leave the nest and strike out on their own.
“Shut Up And Dance” (written by Leigh) features a rockabilly-ish slap-back tempo and some delightful lyrics such as:
Waylon and Willie and every hillbilly
That ever held a beer in his hand
Searched deep inside and
swallowed his pride
And then he shut up and danced
With the apt collaboration of producer Jerry Douglas, the Gibsons have, on a few cuts, nudged their production in an ever so slightly sharp-edged and contemporary direction by adding Guthrie Trapp on electric guitar and John Gardner on drums. Douglas handles resophonic guitar and lap steel on various selections. The results are uniformly superb and deeply satisfying.
