Ed Ryan “Along for The Ride”
The new album ‘Along For The Ride’ by Ed Ryan is a veritable gold mine of well written songs that highlight his musical abilities. Heartfelt lyrics and hooks that transports listeners into Ryan’s imaginative universe. Standout tracks like “Better Than That” and “Make It Happen” demonstrate Ryan’s knack for blending catchy melodies with easy-to-hum arrangements.
Ryan’s vocals, however, slightly limit the album’s full potential even if the songwriting and production are clearly excellent. Although his voice exudes emotion and authenticity, it sometimes lacks the youthful clarity required to raise these great songs to their best. “Heart On My Sleeve” is a raucous rocker that would really benefit from a growling-styled delivery. His vocal delivery works best on the mid-tempo ballads like “Solitary Man” and “Imperfect Life.” Clear influences are Tom Petty and other mid 70s styled rockers.
From reflective ballads (“Poppe’s Garden”) to energizing rockers (“Find Me A Girl”), the album covers a broad emotional spectrum to appeal to any power pop fan. All things considered, ‘Along For The Ride’ is evidence of Ed’s unquestionable skill and commitment to his trade. Highly recommended!
DB Edmunds “Everybody Knows By Now”
Originally a founding member of late ’90s power pop faves The Gladhands and main singer/songwriter/guitarist for Chapel Hill-based The Stars Explode, DB Edmunds began his solo trip in 2022 with EP ‘Life’s Wild Ride’. This new full length album was written in the wake of COVID lockdown, and its starts out promising, produced by the legendary Mitch Easter. The opener “Give It All You Got” is a bittersweet rocker about perseverance in the face of difficulties. “Chasing Yesterday” captures the melancholy tone as it explores the process of people losing their bearings, but a standout here is “(Don’t You Go) Wishing On A Falling Star” which has late 80’s sound, a great vibe is here, and would’ve been a hit if released in that era.
Another great song is “All The Possibilities,” starting with a Rickenbacker riff that blends into a layered melody about UFOs. The style changes on “Blind Faith,” which mines the late era Who for musical inspiration. A good song, but it shifts in style again on “The Weight of The World,” a slow jazzy song akin to a James Bond movie theme. The album is performed and played to perfection in the end, however the abrupt changes in style are distracting. DB seems to explore more than compose, and you will want to pick out some favorites here, as this is music that deserves to be heard.
