Gary Douglas
Keepin’ Faith
(Self released)
If you haven’t heard of Douglas yet, knowing that his band opened for the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen, Bumblefoot and Gary Hoey on the Guitar Gods tour should be enough to get your attention; Douglas will certainly have you rapt when Keepin’ Faith starts spinning. Douglas has a “from the heartland” kind of voice and songwriting style and the obvious comparison here is to John Mellencamp, with cuts like “Faith (Renewed)” sounding especially Mellencamp-ish, and others like “Out on the Highway” demonstrating a real talent for wrapping catchy vocals around hooky guitar riffs.