We picked up Dad to take him to the casino. I put in the CD and asked him if he knew who it was? No, was his answer, but he said "Turn it up, I like it!" Us too!
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Charlie, Julia sends us all of your songs. We love \'em! You are great. I forwarded your email to all of my friends/family.....Nena
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The Austin-based Ramsay cites numerous influences, including Chris Whitley, Jerry Jeff Walker and John Hammond, and from the promotional photo of a vest-wearing, guitar-slinging Ramsay blowing harmonica, one could reasonably expect his latest solo CD to be filled with country-influenced blues progressions. But it’s not. Nor is it really a Texas country record or that of a stool-sitting singer-songwriter. Ramsay’s a roots-rocker, emphasis on the rocker, in the vein of another of his influences, The Wallflowers, along with poppier disciples like Sam Roberts and Butch Walker, the rootsier tracks of Velvet Crush’s “Teenage Symphonies to God,” and even the layered modern production of ‘00s AOR bands like Coldplay and The Fray.

Ramsay writes sketches of characters, emotions or scenes rather than stories. His latest songs center around the realizations and observations of mid-life, critiquing the aspirational YouTube generation (“Monkey See, Monkey Do”), searching for new direction (“Goldfish”), and watching the odd parade of world events transpire before one’s eyes (“Ride”). Ramsay sings with a hint of Lou Reed’s tuneless passion, but with a husky emotion that occasionally sounds like Neil Diamond; his lyrics often come in bursts, stuffing extra words and syllables into the meter. The album closes with a short, moody instrumental of acoustic classical guitar played over piano and a quietly hypnotic keyboard riff.

It’s difficult to pigeonhole Ramsay’s music, and that’s part of its charm. There’s a rustic underpinning to his subjects, vocals and music, with mandolin, fiddle, and national dobro providing folksy sounds. But many tracks are heavy on bass and electric guitars, thick in instrumentation and layered with multi-tracked vocals and production counterpoints. The result balances interestingly between roots and AOR rock, and should appeal to both crowds. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]
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