Gene Clark – Sings for You (Omnivore Recordings, 2018)

To say that Gene Clark is an enigma would be an understatement, a powerful but hidden member of The Byrds, and after the Byrds crashed and burned, Clark’s solo career was sporadic at best.

Yes, certainly he was deeply influenced by Dylan, and that aspect can be heard here, yet with his personal poetic lyrics and distinctively harmonic vocals commercial success would allude him, relegating him to small clubs, never finding solid ground in one of the many super-groups that rose out of the splintered ashes of other 60’s icons. All of that being said, this outing was created in order to secure a recording contract for the his new outing, Gene Clark with The Gosdin Brothers, and there’s no denying that the songs are rather rough, yet even so, there’s sweet magic to be found here, where once fleshed out, have the ability to rock with the likes of Neil Young, David Crosby, or even Stephen Stills.

No, these eight tracks do not make for a formal album by any means, yet in that there remains a charm to these numbers, giving an insider’s view into a starting point for Clark and his new project.

If one were to look at this collection as some long lost folk-rock album from the mid 60’s, it would have been embraced as a resounding success, yet it’s right here right now … so take it for what it is or what it could be, and go enjoy yourself.

– Jenell Kesler

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