Words & Music - Toronto
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Nanaimo, B.C.'s John Gogo follows up a successful debut disc with the new Leave a Light On (Page). Produced by Wayne Lorenz with Gogo and David Kershaw, the album is a shining showcase For the singer's crisp, melodic love songs accented with mandolin, accordion and Mellotron. Comparisons to Tom Petty would not be out of line.
Cosmic Debris - Vancouver Island
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John Gogo's Leave a Light On is a solid fix of heartfelt, focused songwriting, sautéed with excellent musicianship, carefully crafted hooks, imaginative, flowing arrangements, lots of texture and nice production. There's also a wonderfully honest vibrance in John's vocals and subliminal edge in his lyrics which touched me.
Times Colonist - Victoria
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Singer-songwriter John Gogo's new CD, Leave a Light On, is an impressive display of original song craft and studio smarts. Co-produced with Daniel Lanios's compatriot Wayne Lorenz and featuring a team of superb musicians, Leave a Light On showcases Gogo's wise, poetic narratives and effective, melodious vocals. The 10, clever original tunes and a thoughtful version of Tom Waits Cold Cold Ground produces a mood, dreamlike song cycle of love, loss, and longing peopled with unforgettable characters and equally memorable poetic lyrics.
The cousin of noted bluesman Dave Gogo, John Gogo really establishes his musical credentials with this strong collection of songs and expressive performances. Special mention should also go to Lorenz, co-producer and multi-instrumentalist David Kershaw, bassist Brian Minato (Sarah McLachlan Band), drummer Paul Brennan (Odds, Big Sugar), guitarist Sean Norsworthy Ashby, and Dan Lapp (who offers a haunting trumpet solo on The Party Is Over).
Gogo and company have created a Lanios-influenced, atmospheric pop gem. Give this a listen, and go check out his live show. Highly recommended.
SEE Magazine - Edmonton
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Gogo; the folky of the family - A recognizable last name, some strong connections in Vancouver's music scene - the combination of these advantages don't necessarily lead to a record like John Gogo's Leave A Light On. But Gogo has an independent musical personality - he'll take those advantages, but his own music will always shine through.
The result, in the case of Leave A Light On, is a collection of folk/pop tunes that recall American singer/songwriters like Tom Petty or Jackson Browne.
It's not what you might expect after a glance at the contributors list; the presence of members of the Odds and Sarah McLachlan's band might point to a more groove-oriented, heavier feeling than this pared-down recording exudes.
And it's not what Edmontonians might expect when they hear the name Gogo. John Gogo, a Nanaimo native, did play Edmonton a few years ago but, more recently, the Vancouver Island family has been represented with much aplomb by his cousin, blues guitarist David Gogo. Also, John's brother Paul has been playing with classic rockers Trooper for a couple of years.
John admits he was always the folky of the family, "That first cassette I did several years ago, it definitely had a much more acoustic feel," he said.
Since then, there have been two CDs, both release independently. Gogo is keen to start work on the next.
"We'll be playing songs from Leave A Light On at the Sidetrack, but we'll also be playing lots of new stuff."
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