"Reggie Garrett and Gary Wescott's performance was one of the surprise hits of the 2002 Sisters Folk Festival. Reggie Garrett's smooth vocals and Gary Wescott's virtuoso accompaniment on the guitar and mandolin won universal praise from our audiences. They were a great fit for our festival as we welcome the blues flavor of Reggie's singing and we also try to feature talented acoustic performers like Gary. The two blended their somewhat contrasting styles to provide a great sound. We hired them after hearing their CD and did not know a lot about their stage presence and audience appeal. We were not disappointed because, in short, they were great!"

- Bobb Carlsmith, Sisters Folk Festival, Director

Victory Review - February, 2002 

Garrett & Westcott - "Kate's FrontPorch"

Reggie Garrett & Gary Westcott know how to choose first-rate material and deliver on it.  The Seattle-based folk/blues duo has released an excellent set consisting of covers from songwriters like Dave Alvin, Bob Dylan, Willie Nile,Black Francis, Townes Van Zandt, two traditional tunes, and Garrett's five originals, which represent no drop-off at all.  Garrett's amazingly fluid voice is equal to the varied requirements of moody blues (his own "Remember Me"). Nile's playfully erotic "Vagabond Moon, " and the gentleness, perfect for his subtle vibrato, of the traditional "The Flowers of the Forest," which closes the album.  And don't neglect the jazzy ghost tract that follows. The instrumental settings feature Westcott's many strings, found on mandolin, dobro, banjo, lead guitar, and subdued electric guitar.  His one vocal lead is "Dry River", Alvin's poignant paean to hope amidst Los Angeles' concretized jungle.   With a touch of snare drum and his mandolin picking Westcott nails it.  Everything here is just that tasteful and well done.  After Hendrix and Dylan, is there anything to glean from "All Along The Watchtower"?  Turns out there is:  Garrett's flawless, near falsetto delivery coupled with some awesome guitar picking in the break captures the desperation in the song.  Garrett's swinging "Down The Line" sounds surefire for FM airplay on the Mountain.  I hope this CD gets a wide hearing.

Bill Compton

Taken alone, Reggie Garrett creates music that gets under your skin - a gentle and subtle blend of folk, jazz, and blues.  It swings witth authority, moves like a panther, takes you down to the river where the depth of emotion truly resides.  Garrett's voice is itself an utterly unique instrument, a tremulous, warm cry from the heart.  Songs like the haunting "Seasons" and gently rhythmic "Along fro the Ride" play in you mind as you awaken in the morning, wondering at first where that melody and feeling came from, then remembering - Reggie Garrett.  A creator of delicate miniatures, Garrett doesn't give us full narratives; he gives us moments, brief glimpses of human beings, momentary glances att their emotions and the objects that inspire them.  "Shadows from a nightlight, doorway left ajar, sounds of things tthat you don't really see, only hear/ From another room" ("Images").  But there is even more than Reggie Garrett herre.  When you add the lyrical guitar of Richard Middleton and the etraordinarily tasteful percussion of Will Dowd to the mix (and Dowd engineered the project with a finesse equal to his percussion work), the result is a folk CD that sets the bar for small ensemble work.  Middleton's inventions bespeak a deep affection for the material he's working with, and Dowd displays his magical knack for providing fascinating percussive support that you love to listen closely for, though it never calls attention to itself.  It doesn't get much better than this.

Bill Fisher