I'm always excited to find fellow Kansas musicians out there -- and even more excited to find one who's making my exact kind of music!  This CD is perfect for anyone, any time!  Ross has a great singing voice and equally great music/lyric writing skills!  I swear I hear a lot of KC blues and jazz in there . . . !
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I first heard these guys as a cut on a San Francisco radio station's local music scene compilation CD.  The cut, "Brightest Flames", immediately stood out, one of those tracks that makes you go, "Whoa, who's that?".  I unhesitantly ordered For the Love I'm Forgetting from CD Baby.  Since receiving it, I have had it on constant repeat in my car, continually delighted at the discovery of musical nuances and lyrical composition.

What first struck me about Zachary and the Angels is that their sound is very reminicent of the great Bay Area horn bands of the late 60's; Tower of Power, Cold Blood, Sons of Champlin, Moby Grape... the bands I grew up with.  What strikes me after repeated listeneings is while this generalization serves them well, it but scratches the surface of the depth of their sound.  Zachary's voice is truely beautiful and his mature delivery betrays his relative youth.  Combine that with his amazing vituosity on the rich hollow body guitar, song writing and arranging and this guy's destined for greatness (as long as station's like KFOG let the world hear him).  The Desolation Angels are more than a backing band.  Each individual adds their own particular expertise that, when mixed to the whole, makes for a tremendously rich and powerful combination.

I was finally able to see Zachary and the Angels this past weekend (9/4/05) at Oakland's Art & Soul Festival.  While their tight, exact sound was somewhat lost in the cavern of high rise buildings and overzealous sound board, I can only say that their live performance testifies to my claims.  I can't wait to see them in a club setting!
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Zachary Ross & Desolation Angels is quite refreshing. Mr. Ross has managed to some-what recapture an era that has since long passed. Two gems on this CD "No Worries" & "Fallen Angel Of A Southern Church" lean heavily on vintage "Stevie Wonder" but, when Mr. Ross sings in a higher register, he often reminds me of "Bobby Caldwell". A couple of suggesstions, perhaps collabarate with another writer-(Music) to tighten up your trks. I think that a co-producer/arranger´s input would help bring that breath of fresh air that´s really missing on alot of these songs. But aside from these minor steps, this project is still a treasure. Please, Mr. Ross, keep up the wonderful work!
Peace!
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