"Get A Witness"
 by Garnet Rogers
 Snow Goose Songs
 Valerie Enterprises
 http://www.garnetrogers.com

 This review is written by Kevin McCarthy, 11/07

 Something new, something old and something borrowed.

 Such describes "Get A Witness," the latest release from Garnet Rogers.
 Recorded live over a three-day period in July of this year at The Black
 Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec, it's a mix of new offerings, previously
 recorded songs and those from  the likes of Karen Savoca, Bruce
 Springsteen and the late Stan Rogers.

 Recent events and headlines are mapped out in the initial songs. George
 Bush gets eviscerated in the rockin "Junior" while "Beyond This Wall"
 matter-of-factly paints a portrait of Canadian soldiers at war in
 Afghanistan -- but applicable to the military members of any nation in
 such a situation. "Junior" could alternately be titled "You Don't Speak
 For Me," a recurring snarling lyric. It consists of Bush's words and
 actions approrpiately mashed back into his face. "Beyond This Wall" hits
 home with a twist of a usual proverb, turning the phrase into "I'll fight
 to live another day."

 In the title cut, "Get A Witness," Rogers recounts the best day and why,
 morning through night, of the subject in the song.

 "Summer Lightning" is one of Roger's previous odes to his wife. Given a
 different instrumental introduction, this cut is a slower, different
 version, somewhat akin to what Dylan often does with his songs in
 concert -- re-inventing pace, rhythm and emphasis. Here's a lyric example
 of "Summer Lightning" with Rogers' writing at its most gentle, insightful
 and encompassing:

     "...For where I go
     You go with me
     Thought the miles keep us apart
     Your kiss is on my lips and your face before me
     And your gentle hand, always on my heart

     We are brief as a summer lightning
     We are swift as swallow's flight
     We are sparks that spiral upward in the darkness in the night
     We are frost upon a window
     We won't pass this way again
     In the end only love remains..."

 Providing an evocative glimpse of a country music performer now out of
 place and time in "Empty Glass," Rogers understatedly yet magically takes
 the listener on the artist's last journey.

 In this cut, he also excoriates the swapping of genuineness for image
 with:

     "...There's no Hank, Merle or Johnny now
     you can't hear them anymore
     There's just redneck clowns and stupid hats
     young girls dressed as whores..."

 The guess here is that this offering will be the favorite of most
 listeners.

 "Good and Faithful Servant" is another rocker led by electric guitar --
 it's genesis the the funeral service for Coretta King.

 Then begins the works of others with Karen Savoca's weepy "Bittersweet"
 followed by Springsteen's "Blood Brothers." Each appears a companion piece
 of the other. Both are tales of fateful acceptance and a carrying on
 despite losing out on any grace of enlightenment. "Blood Brothers" also
 brings to mind elements of an earlier Rogers song, "Frankie and Johnny."

 Then it gets real interesting.as right at the conclusion of "Blood
 Brothers," "David's Solo" appears, flowing into "Night Drive" and then
 "Northwest Passage." Don't be alarmed as track 8 registers a length of
 30:31 on the media player.

 "Night Drive" is an exhilarating operatic-style homage to the memory of
 Garnet's late brother Stan, who perished in an airplane fire in 1983. The
 mix of muted and rollicking makes Stan Rogers' "Northwest Passage" quite
 the fitting companion piece. The chorus itself succinctly yet brilliantly
 displays the imaginitive songwriting talent of the elder Rogers:

     "...Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage
     To find the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea;
     Tracing one warm line through a land so wild and savage
     And make a Northwest Passage to the sea..."

 All is concluded with "The Bay Boy," a guitar instrumental that provides
 the time and space to ponder what has just been experienced. A hidden
 track, be forewarned it does take some time before appearing.

 Kudos to Garnet Rogers for both the thought behind this release --
 the picking, choosing and connection of the songs -- and the music in its
 totality. Plus, a tip of the hat for the iconoclasm displayed by the
 length of a number of the cuts here: 7:25 for "Beyond This Wall," "Summer
 Lighting" coming in at 8:04, with "Empty Glass close behind at 8:10.
 "Night Drive" runs 11:10. Any discussion of anti-corporate music requires
 the inclusion of Garnet Rogers.