CD Review
Ross William Perry
"It’ll All Make Sense"
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Ross William Perry, the 18 year old guitar slinging youth based in the Twin Cities, debuts with his album It'll All Make Sense. He writes the majority of the tunes on the album, occasionally sharing the pen with his father, who's bar saw a seven year old Ross' first public performance. There is definitely a guitar star in this teen, he can certainly play as well as his peers, the newest generation of guitar heroes including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Derek Trucks, and Josh Smith. Like Shepherd, Perry's young style is very heavily influenced by the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, which is hardly a bad place to start from. He pulls out a few of Vaughan's classic licks, but shows that he can not only copy, but also understand the music, and incorporate techniques of the masters into his own playing. What Perry achieves in his guitar solos seems to make up for his lack of vocal range and experience. The doubled vocal tracks on "In The Shadows" and "Miss You Baby" are almost unlistenable. With a constant touring schedule, time may eventually season his voice and bring it up to speed with his playing.
Comparisons with Steve Ray are inevitable, as "Boogie Time" is quite reminiscent of "Rude Mood," and "Tribute" is much like "Lenny." The only member of his touring band to appear on the record is bass player Damon Lee. Along with two each of drummers, keyboardists and bassplayers, the record has a solid foundation with veterans comprising the various rhythm sections. The lyrics are standard blues fare, nothing incredibly deep or ground breaking is going on, but the emotion of the song is more important than the words used to convey it in the blues. Perry shows sparks of these feelings, and although his voice has yet to shine, his playing is what this album is all about.
E-mail Ross: kidblue@earthlink.net
Website: http://rosswilliamperry.com
(612) 591-0420 phone/fax
This review is copyright © 1999 by , and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved.
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