Victor V. Gurbo - Outrun The Invisible Man (2025)

I'm not surprised if you're unfamiliar with Victor V. Gurbo. That's because he's another one of the innumerable spokes caught in the wagon wheel of talented, but sadly unknown musicians who deserve a larger audience.

The singer-songwriter's website describes him as "a Brooklyn-based roots revivalist musician" who has built a solid reputation on his home turf.

Gurbo's Outrun the Invisible Man is a ten-song album he recorded at home during the COVID lockdown with his multi-instrumentalist friend and collaborator, Mark Caserta, who is the only other musician on this set. After meeting on Craigslist, they worked together during the unfortunate lockdown by sending iPhone recordings to each other for overdubbing. Together, they recorded over a hundred songs.

Gurbo's six original songs on Invisible Man were inspired by the pandemic and feature themes the lockdown made people think about more frequently: "nostalgia, love, loss, and isolation."

 The New Yorker is a good lyricist. On "Dreaming and Dancing" he sings:

"Tonight I am dancing with somebody new.
She knows this place like the back of her hand .
Says she knows De Niro, says she drinks with the band.
 But here I’m just dreaming that I’m dancing with you."

Considering the subject matter of his originals the singer-songwriter's choice of covers may surprise you. They include a surprisingly unique take on "Mack the Knife," Buddy Holly's classic "Everyday," and Irving Berlin's "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody." 

The gem of the covers is "Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache," a song originally recorded by an old rockabilly star, Warren Smith, that was covered by Bob Dylan for a Sun Records tribute CD that I own.

Gurbo's voice is not a powerhouse, but it's very expressive and best heard in small rooms or coffeehouses. I actually began to believe that's where I was listening to him while enjoying this record.

Gurbo is presented to us as a folk musician, but he's more than that. He is also a fine interpreter of quality pop songs. If you're in the mood, Outrun the Invisible Man is an album to love during some quiet time.

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