BRIAN RAY
My Town (Wicked Cool)
Though American guitarist Brian Ray is perhaps best known for working with Paul McCartney and Etta James, the multi-talented musician has worked with myriad artists in a career dating back to the 1980s.
It’s hardly surprising that someone who, aged just 17, played with Bobby “Boris” Pickett of Monster Mash fame, would produce an album like My Town – his fourth such solo effort – which pushes its American rock influences almost to the realm of pastiche. Pirate Radio features a bouncy bass and ‘oh-oh-ohhh’ backing vocals which work in tandem with Ray’s raspy voice, while for the suspenseful Spellbreaker, the mic is passed to Michael Des Barres of mid-80s MOR rockers The Power Station.
A cover of Willie Dixon’s I Ain’t Superstitious is another vocal feature, this time for Gia Ciambotti, and exudes a raw hard rock sound reminiscent of AC/DC. It’s typical of an album which encapsulates Brian Ray’s influences, songwriting, and signature style in a way that is uniquely him.
words DAVID JAMES
