Gordon has been a regular session player with leading recording artists for over three decades and The Last Train, his first original CD, is well worth the wait. His resume should alert bluegrass and folk fans that they are in for some great picking, but the songs are the standout feature of this CD. The melodies are memorable, and the lyrics honest and direct. Take Me Back is a haunting plaint that should reach an entire generation -- it would not surprise me to find other artists recording covers of songs from The Last Train. Gordon gets to strut his stuff on mandolin and banjo on several cuts, but he is also backed up by some of the best musicians in bluegrass and folk including Mike Auldrige, Bill Keith, Arlo Guthrie, Mike Munford and Antoinne Silverman. Snake River Hoedown is a bouncy original fiddle tune with changes that give the lineup a great chance to fire off some very hot playing. Banjo player Mumford's hook for Take Me Back stays in the mind, in fact, every cut has a lead that will have players rewinding the CD to cop some licks. There are a lot of hot musician's out there, but few are songwriters with something to say. Gordon's tunes are drawn from his life and are presented without artifice or superficiality. His singing is real and you may find yourself humming the melodies long after the CD is over. I sure did. This is a great debut CD!

This is a truly great acoustic music cd. Gordon's singing and playing, along with that of his colleagues, makes this one of the most enjoyable cd's in my collection.

We first became aware of Gordon Titcomb when Dale Jones, the morning DJ on WZBG radio in Litchfield, CT starting playing songs from The Last Train. Apparently, he is a local talent and this is what he likes to feature on his show. My husband loved Pennies A Day so much that he asked me to order the CD for him. All of the songs on this CD are so easy to identify with and are so catchy. We just love it! Sure hope that Gordon will appear somewhere in our area in the near future.

Playing Time – 29:58 -- A member of Arlo Guthrie’s group for over three years, multi-instrumentalist Gordon Titcomb starts his debut solo project with a leisurely ballad, “If It Were Up to Me,” but by the second track, “Gold Plated Love,” Titcomb and Co. are into high-octane bluegrass. That song is catchy with the hook “your gold plated love turned my ring finger green.” The title cut is a train song that mentions the City of New Orleans, Wabash Cannonball, Midnight Flyer, and Lonesome Freight Train. It sadly was arranged without any mournful harmonies on the chorus, but the strength of this project is Titcomb’s emphasis on originals that cover many musical moods from folk, bluegrass and country inspiration. Besides his own lyrical twists, he does this by incorporating a little piano and viola (“I Had a Dream”), some accordion (“The River”) and his musical consciousness takes him more into folkgrass territory. Gordon also has a witty side that he captures in “Pennies a Day,” a cute country song driven by the walking bass line. Best known for his work on mandolin and pedal steel, Titcomb is also a solid guitar, dobro and banjo player. Fine examples of his picking pyrotechnics are found in the banjo breaks on “Gold Plated Love” and “Snake River.” Gordon’s high-octane mandolin break on “Snicker Doodle” would easily bring up prices at the pump. I was impressed with Gordon’s all star musical guest list for the album: Arlo Guthrie, Mike Auldridge, Bill Keith, Mark Schatz, Frank Solivan II, Mike Munford, Jon Caroll, Stefan Custodi, Dede Wyland, Kip Martin, John Previti, John Miller and Antoine Silverman. It must’ve been a blast to see his large body of originals come to life in the hands of these artists. “Snicker Doodle” and “Snake River Hoedown” are instrumentals that require some nimble fingers from these masters. While not a defining voice of the time, Titcomb’s baritone voice is pleasant. The strongest cuts incorporate Solivan’s and Wyland’s harmonies, and one nostalgic number with trio (“Take Me Back”) is a yearning for eternal youthfulness that most of us can relate to. Presented in ¾-time, “The River” shows a deep appreciation and connection to nature and our environment. By age 17, Gordon had left high school and was playing with Mike Williams, opening shows for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Over the years, he’s played with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, Patrick Sky, John Herald Band, Woodstock Mountain Review, Happy and Artie Traum, Bill Keith , Jim Rooney, Rory Block, Eric Andersen, Kinky Friedman, Barry and Holly Tashian, Jim Lauderdale, Shawn Colvin, and now Arlo. Titcomb’s also recorded in more than 2000 sessions. For the last 30 years, Titcomb’s made his living recording and playing as a sideman. I’m sure that it was strange, albeit very rewarding, to show up for recording sessions and have to assume the leading role of callling the shots on what songs to record, how to arrange them, and who to feature for solos. Based on his music, Titcomb seems like an amiable and genuine person. He’s straightforward and easy to understand. That’s primarily why I like his songs. Some come across as more meaningful and effective than others, but they’re without gimmicks. Gordon sings and picks them with sincerity and subtlety so his tuneful stories and messages are easily remembered. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)