Gerry Beckley has been producing quality music for over 50 years. As one of the founding fathers of ‘America’, he has been responsible for solid classic songs that still resonate today and are irresistibly recognisable
America’s hits include classics like ‘A Horse With No Name’, ‘Sister Golden Hair’, and ‘You Can Do Magic’. The band continues to be a hugely popular draw on tour, although their recording profile has diminished somewhat with only two albums of original material in the last 27 years. 2007 saw the release of one of their strongest albums with ‘Here And Now’.
As if to fill that void for the band’s many fans, Gerry Beckley has released seven solo albums, and collaborated on many other musical ventures with others, including projects with Carl Wilson, Chicago’s Robert Lamm, Eagle Timothy B. Schmit, and the late hugely underrated Andrew Gold.
‘Keeping The Light On’ provides an overview of Beckley’s career within a career, with a generous twenty tracks, of which five are previously unreleased.
Gerry Beckley, as evidenced from the first song he ever wrote – ‘I Need You’ – to any on this retrospective collection, has always had an ear for a great melody. At their essence, these are simple songs, beautifully crafted. Many would slip in unnoticed to any American album, yet some of the material sees the artist ruminating at the bigger issues as the years catch up on us all. Mid-tempo rocker ‘Life Lessons’ being a point in case:
Hey, where did we go wrong? Life is gonna be short or long. Love was here along, smiling from the wings.
The lovely ‘Home Again’ continues to see Gerry in a contemplative mood:
Life is not what it seems. Causes time takes a man and makes a child of him once more. Somewhere on the journey from the mountains to the sea. And when his time is up, it takes him to the door and brings a brand new baby to even up the score.
This collection is awash with melodiousness and charm. ‘Emma’, ‘I’m Your Heart Slave’, and ‘Goodbye Highway’ all display the instantly appealing catchy nature, which has long been part of the America brand.
Beckley’s distinctive voice is as strong as ever at 69 years old. Indeed, he sounds the rockiest I’ve heard on any album on the gloriously loose ‘Hang Your Head High’. There is a delightful, lushness to the track sounding in parts like The Faces, and by the end of the song, Gerry sounds almost like his good friend Joe Walsh.
It has to be a pretty good collection when the only major criticism comes in the form of tracks omitted. The title track of Gerry’s last album, ‘Five Mile Road’, is a quiet introspection on a journey not completed, five miles traveled, and more to come. The real mystery, however, is the omission of ‘Love And Longing’, a beautiful song contemplating the two most deeply felt emotions; love and loss. It’s a song that would be a shoo-in on most artists’ greatest hits.
‘Keeping The Light On’ does exactly that. It’s keeping the spirit of America alive, showing a much more diverse soundboard from Gerry Beckley as an artist in his own right.
America continues to tour with as many as 100 gigs a year. This has meant that Gerry’s ability to gig under his own name has taken something of a back seat, and his own material has not perhaps been given the exposure it so richly deserves. Discerning music lovers might do well to visit some of America’s lesser-traveled routes… they will be richly rewarded.