Award winning musician Brian Ray has returned. Taking a break as guitarist for Paul McCartney’s band, he has completed his sophomore solo album, much like bandmate Rusty Anderson. It’s great to finally hear This Way Up, as Brian was mixing this album in my interview with him last year. As with a musician of this caliber, the production is precise and the richly textured notes of his Les Paul Jr. guitar are the focus. Starting with the amazing “Happy Ending” it’s everything you’d expect, crackling riffs, dramatic chord shifts and melodic magic.
Leading with a reverb heavy guitar on “Saturday in the Sun,” it’s got a little Tom Petty inflection with a combination of guitar solo and orchestral flourishes. “I Found You” has an optimistic lyric and bouncy rhythm. Each song has enough variety to keep you hooked and prevent any predictability, for example “Hello Lonely” uses some unique percussive samples and cavernous orchestral sounds. The title track has everything that you need, power riffs, energy and melodic composition – turn it up and play this while driving on the highway! A few tracks seem overproduced (“Camouflaged” and “Under The Sun”) but it’s like complaining there is too much whip cream on your sundae. The timely “Very Happy Song” is a perfect theme for those “sardonic and contrary” people out there looking to be cheered up. Ray has used every musical and production tool in his experience, so it makes this a very memorable headphones album – don’t miss it.
