Scott Gibson
Just Keep Drivin'
Review By Steven Stone

  It is hard to toss a quarter in Nashville without hitting a songwriter with a tip jar, but few have Scott Gibson's songwriting chops. On his second release, Just Keep Drivin', Gibson delivers twelve reasons why he should be on your radar.

Born in Waco, TX, Gibson spent his first ten years there before his family moved to Austin, TX, where he still lives.  He began writing songs when he was 23, but it took ten years working as a sideman for acts including James McMurty before Gibson began his solo career. Backed by a band that includes Mac McNabb on electric and acoustic guitars, Geoff Queen on pedal steel, Hayden Vitera on fiddle, Rafael Gayol on drums, Gibson handles all the lead vocals and plays electric and upright bass.

Like other Texas-born songwriters Robert Earl Keen and Guy Clark, many of Gibson's songs are stories, Texas stories. The title tune tells the tale of musicians on the road, which is a life Gibson knows all too well. The tune's propulsive beat is pushed forward by McNabb's electric guitar, and builds toward an anthemic chorus. Gibson's voice is nothing special, but his simple phrasing and avoidance of vocal pyrotechnics allows the songs to stand by themselves. My favorite song on the album, "Holy Hallelujah" is a quirky commemoration of the fine art of going out with the girls dancing. The last song, "Sing Praise" is a Gospel call and response tune that harkens back to the tent meetings that used to sprout throughout the Texas countryside.

Keeping traditional and country roots music alive requires young performing artists ready to embrace these venerable musical forms. Scott Gibson is certainly up to the task.

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