”GETTIN’ TOGETHER“ REVIEWS:

“… a wonderful triumph for acoustic blues and the originators of these great spirited songs. There is not a weak cut on the album. …Gettin’ Together is the pure acoustic blues played as well as it can be—sheer musical pleasure, wall to wall. Everything just feels right and good—most sweet, spicy and soulful.”

   (Frank Matheis, Living Blues)

“The sound is relaxed and confident… Browne's warm, weathered voice makes one grateful that one's ears are in working order. Some recordings are instantly lovable. Here's one for the lovelorn.”

   (Jerome Clark, rambles.net)

“While I’ve heard countless renditions of each of the cover tunes, these are exceptional. … Getting’ Together is refreshing, uplifting, and a welcome break from “business as usual” in the contemporary Blues scene.  I recommend it highly.”

   (Bill Wilson, Reflections In Blue)

“Gettin’ Together is a wonderfully rich set of acoustic blues and roots songs that you’ll listen to over and over again.  Like any great blues album, it will certainly lead you to dig deeper into the original versions of these songs, but it should also lead you to dig deeper into the music of Michael Jerome Browne and his friends.”

    (Graham Clarke, Phoenix Blues Society)

“One thing that strikes me about this album is the variety of the grooves and feel in country blues. … Browne’s vocal interpretations are warm, weathered and honest, and the guy is a virtuoso on all kinds of guitars … as well as six-string and gourd banjo. This album is one great dive into the blue, and that’s the truth.”

   (Mike Sadava, Maple Blues , Toronto Blues Society)

“Gettin’ Together is a blast from stem-to-stern for acoustic music lovers and blues fans of all ages. Browne has a magic touch with this material that’ll get you and keep you. We believe a daily shot of these tunes is in order.”

   (Mike O’Cull, Rock & Blues Muse)

“… each riveting performance lends itself to both additional learning and admiration … Browne is an unbelievably gifted guitarist, technically ideal for the type of music he embraces. … It is a pleasure to experience blues and roots music performed to the level that every Michael Jerome Browne album attains. … Gettin’ Together, another platter of brilliance from Michael Jerome Browne.”

   (Donald Teplyske, Fervor Coulee)

“A gifted guitarist, Browne showcases his talents with old time country blues on his excellent Gettin’ Together…”

   (Bill Wilcox, Twangville)

“Browne is humble enough to just consider himself a vessel in transporting this music originally created by African Americans in the early part of the last century, with ample nods to the folk-blues revival of the early ‘60s. He’s doing more than just borrowing it, however. He is revitalizing it and deserves kudos for keeping it so raw and authentic.”

    (Jim Hynes, Glide Magazine)

“… a smartly crafted set of acoustic folk blues that goes down easy. Browne has gathered the music and the players and they’ve woven a magical tapestry of this music and its historic sources.”

     (Jim White, Blues Roadhouse)

“Like all good music from this genre, the performances here won’t actually give you the blues—they’ll help you recover from them.”

   (Jeff Burger, The Aquarian/Americana Highways/Blogcritics/By Jeff Burger)

“Gettin’ Together is the kind of stuff you can imagine being played around a bonfire at the beach or maybe for a Saturday afternoon back porch party, with a loose friendliness that invites everybody in. Yeah… I can imagine this disc making LOTS of friends.”

   (John Kereiff, gonzookanagan.com)

“Browne conveys the joy and passion of these indomitable tunes with his scratchy vocals and sure-handed playing”

   (Fred Kraus, Minor7th Short Takes)
 

“…a fingerpicker’s delight…”

   (Marty Gunther, Red Hot ‘n Blues Reviews, Chicago Blues Guide and Charlotte Blues Society)

“…a must for those who love the sound of those old-time artists and maybe a revelation of a few long-forgotten musicians and songs.”

   (John Sacksteder, Blues Blast)

“Michael Jerome Browne plays resonator guitar, 12-string guitar and gourd banjo with an expert finesse and hollers magnificently; Gettin’ Together (Borealis Records/Stony Plain Records, BCD278) is a 14-track down-home delight, with his rough-and-ready vocals steaming and a-storming. The album just sizzles and bubbles…”

   (Mick’s Quicks, Folk Wales)

“The acoustic blues has few finer practitioners than this award winning Canadian guitarist … Splendid stuff.”

   (Kevin Bryan, Sale Messenger, Manchester + The Oldham Times, Lancashire Telegraph, Bury Times & The Bolton News)

“Browne has the power to release magic from practically any instrument he chooses.”

   (Andy Davidson, Americana UK)

“These sounds are almost stitched into him – and he pours them out brilliantly here.”

   (Andy Thorly, Maximum Volume, UK)

“Browne demonstrates his fluid technique on various guitars and banjo and has a great blues voice.”

   (Michael Hingston, Americana Roundup, Country Music People, UK)

“He’s definitely got it all together, authentically. Rootsy.”

   (David Pearson, Roots in July, Spirit of Progressive Rock, UK)

“This is a fine album of traditional songs, with Michael centre stage on every song but the additional musicians and singers just add that extra spice.”

   (Graham Harrison, Blues in the South, UK)

“… there is no doubt that Michael Jerome Browne is a true bluesman in every sense of the word… accolades simply mount up as Gettin’ Together progresses but any fan of acoustic blues, from Son House through to Guy Davis, will love this album — a sure fire nominee for a traditional blues album award.”
    (Morgan Hogarth, RNR magazine, UK)

“Michael Jerome Browne opened the evening with a brief solo set that demonstrated his considerable fingerpicking skill on twelve-string acoustic plus slide guitar, gourd banjo and harmonica. His songs included some from his excellent current release, Gettin’ Together, the best being his stirring rendition of J.B. Hutto’s ‘Please Help.’”
   (Morgan Hogarth, RNR magazine, UK— review of show at St. Luke’s, Glasgow)

“Any sincere lover of American acoustic music will be delighted to hear such an album, as challenging as it is invigorating.”

   (Patrick Dallongeville, PARIS-MOVE, BLUES MAGAZINE,ILLICO & BluesBoarder)

“He’s stunning on both guitar and banjo. … some of the often rare covers are treated with originality … an album that stands as a respectful tribute to a legacy left by its creators.”

   (Daniel Léon, Soul Bag, France)

“This time I would like to talk about the new one from Michael Jerome Browne, that multi-instrumentally talented professor and child of the gods, who has been delighting us from Montreal for ages with his more than lived blues and roots songs. … the man has mastered every genre … and he does it at such a breathtakingly high level that you can already talk about an end-of-year list. Indispensable stuff, for sure!”

   (Dani Heyvaert, ROOTSTIME, Belgium)

“… his passion for this music is something he has also made completely his own as a performing musician. … The beauty is that songs like this give you a feeling that touches on the world in which this music originated but getting really close to it is something else. Browne knows this too and "treats" songs like this in a way that makes them come into their own completely. While he performs, he is musically adept to the point where he does not miss the point. It can be heard throughout the album. … The drives of M.J. Browne have produced a more than encyclopedically fine album.”

   (Ronand Valstar, REAL ROOTS CAFE, Netherlands)

“Living With The Blues is the perfect finale to this heartfelt ode to the African-American blues legacy whose influence can hardly be overstated.”

   (Cis Van Looy, WRITTEN IN MUSIC, Netherlands)

“…the collection of covers… together form an inspired whole… Those who invented the blues are long gone, but the style of music has hardly lost its eloquence. When it is performed as it is on Gettin' Together at least.”
   (AltCountry.nl)

“The album features some excellent numbers from the fields of hillbilly, ragtime, and country blues, including a version of Bukka White's “Fixin' To Die Blues” interpreted as a banjo-violin duet, the grandiose Delta blues "Ham Hound Crave" (Rube Lacy) and the instrumental Gary Davis homage ‘Reverend Strut.’” 
   (Blues News, Germany)

“Not many white musicians usually appear in this section, so those who do it is because they have earned it. And one of them is already Michael Jerome Browne. … Loaded with acoustic blues, the fourteen songs of this work have counted with the participation of the aforementioned Bibb, Sebastian or Linden, but also Happy Traum, Harrison Kennedy or Mary Flower among many others, something that gives us a good reference of a release that, yes or yes, will delight lovers of the most naked sounds. It's white blues, yes, but don't make me have to explain this too. Where there is, there is.”

   (Eduardo Izquierdo, RUTA 66 mag, Spain)

“MJ Browne is a fine multi-instrumentalist with roots firmly planted in more traditional American music. …  The sounds are curated, the recordings warm as only vintage instruments and analog equipment can give. … The closing is left to Brownie McGhee's Living With The Blues, and we want to take it as a subliminal message: the blues is not a genre relegated to nostalgia, but accompanies us with its message in our daily lives. Long live the blues!”

   (Pie Cantoni, ROOTS HIGHWAY- Italy)

“Gifted with a limpid guitar style on the six and twelve strings and an incisive technique on the banjo (on six strings and the curious and archaic 'gourd banjo'), Michael Jerome Browne has here collected a fine set of compositions… Gettin' Together winds its way through a series of remarkable interpretations, getting into the most genuine blues spirit… Proving that when there is passion, respect and deep love, no color of skin matters.”
    (Remo Ricaldone, The Long Journey, Italy)

“Michael shows us how it's done … the album is highly expressive of this passion of his. As the songs are arranged, the album brings us an incredible atmosphere, strong expressions that can be found by fans of this musical style. … the album from song to song, from minute to minute, from tone to tone so plastically and crystal clear shows what B.L.U.E.S. is in its original meaning. …These 47' … presents Michael Jerome Browne in the best light to all of us who love this music genre. … true connoisseurs will know how to appreciate this content that Michael Jerome Browne gives us so sincerely and completely.”
   (Mladen Loncar, Sound Garden- Croatia)

"THAT’S WHERE IT’S AT” REVIEWS: