Album Review: Open for Business from Ric Harris
Album: Open for Business
Artist: Ric Harris
Label: Self-Released
Website: www.theharrisgrp.com
Blues is a rare breed of music. It's artists come and go like sports figures but the style of music lives on, its torch to be carried by the next generation of blues virtuosos. Each decade has witnessed blues artists having their heyday. Its roots can be traced to the music of William C. Handy in the 1920's, coined as the Father of the Blues. In his wake, Al Jolson brought the spotlight on blues through the 1930s while John Lee Hooker emerged in the 1940's. To further briefly encapsulate the blues progress, Muddy Waters and BB King reigned through the 1950's, Ray Charles in the 1960's, Bo Diddley in the 1970's, Eric Clapton in the 1980's, and Blues Traveler in the 1990's.
The genre is a combination of ragtime minstrals, spirituals, ballads, and grooving romps with a tinge of honky tonk/hillbilly swagger, all of which can be heard in the music of guitarist Ric Harris on his CD Open For Business. The listener can pick up the decades of blues that have led up to 2019 in Harris's music. If listeners have never heard the piercing guitar yowls of BB King or the soulful meanderings of Eric Clapton, they will have a taste of all this in Harris's tracks. The recording shows multiple influences steep in the blues culture from Chicago to New Orleans, crossing into Memphis and moving further southeast to the Florida Keys. Harris incorporates the blues culture of these towns in his recording, all original songs penned by him.
The stilted pitch of the guitar chords anchor sharp punctuations along "How Much Is Too Much," bearing a palpable association to the blues guitarists of the past without losing its modern zest. Harris's coarse register gives the track a raw, rugged clang that is at home in the blues paradigm. The slow rhythmic thrusts of the bass produce a warm honky tonk tone through "If Not," framing the bluesy flare-ups of Harris's guitar improvisations. "Tell Me Why" has a Florida Keys-induced luster with its island-infused bongo beats and tin pan sounding percussion, which switches to a Memphis-imbued tint in Ray Cumpian's harmonica musings traversing along "Another Day, Another Dollar."
This is certainly fun music that has the same benefits as a B12 vitamin for listeners, reducing their stress level while boosting their amount of energy. The tracks don't make any heavy demands on the listener. The songs put audiences in the mood to find pleasure in living life. Blues is earth-bound music and Harris shows a keen understanding of its nature, contributing heavily to keeping its torch burning bright for today's generation of listeners.
Musicians:
Ric Harris – lead vocals, guitar and slide guitar
Zack Avery – rhythm guitar and background vocals
Marty Binder – drums
Gwen Klemenz – background vocals
Steve Kostakes – piano, organ, and background vocals
Harlan Terson – bass
Ray Cumpian – harmonica
Artist: Ric Harris
Label: Self-Released
Website: www.theharrisgrp.com
Blues is a rare breed of music. It's artists come and go like sports figures but the style of music lives on, its torch to be carried by the next generation of blues virtuosos. Each decade has witnessed blues artists having their heyday. Its roots can be traced to the music of William C. Handy in the 1920's, coined as the Father of the Blues. In his wake, Al Jolson brought the spotlight on blues through the 1930s while John Lee Hooker emerged in the 1940's. To further briefly encapsulate the blues progress, Muddy Waters and BB King reigned through the 1950's, Ray Charles in the 1960's, Bo Diddley in the 1970's, Eric Clapton in the 1980's, and Blues Traveler in the 1990's.
The genre is a combination of ragtime minstrals, spirituals, ballads, and grooving romps with a tinge of honky tonk/hillbilly swagger, all of which can be heard in the music of guitarist Ric Harris on his CD Open For Business. The listener can pick up the decades of blues that have led up to 2019 in Harris's music. If listeners have never heard the piercing guitar yowls of BB King or the soulful meanderings of Eric Clapton, they will have a taste of all this in Harris's tracks. The recording shows multiple influences steep in the blues culture from Chicago to New Orleans, crossing into Memphis and moving further southeast to the Florida Keys. Harris incorporates the blues culture of these towns in his recording, all original songs penned by him.
The stilted pitch of the guitar chords anchor sharp punctuations along "How Much Is Too Much," bearing a palpable association to the blues guitarists of the past without losing its modern zest. Harris's coarse register gives the track a raw, rugged clang that is at home in the blues paradigm. The slow rhythmic thrusts of the bass produce a warm honky tonk tone through "If Not," framing the bluesy flare-ups of Harris's guitar improvisations. "Tell Me Why" has a Florida Keys-induced luster with its island-infused bongo beats and tin pan sounding percussion, which switches to a Memphis-imbued tint in Ray Cumpian's harmonica musings traversing along "Another Day, Another Dollar."
This is certainly fun music that has the same benefits as a B12 vitamin for listeners, reducing their stress level while boosting their amount of energy. The tracks don't make any heavy demands on the listener. The songs put audiences in the mood to find pleasure in living life. Blues is earth-bound music and Harris shows a keen understanding of its nature, contributing heavily to keeping its torch burning bright for today's generation of listeners.
Musicians:
Ric Harris – lead vocals, guitar and slide guitar
Zack Avery – rhythm guitar and background vocals
Marty Binder – drums
Gwen Klemenz – background vocals
Steve Kostakes – piano, organ, and background vocals
Harlan Terson – bass
Ray Cumpian – harmonica
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