Richard Ray Farrell
Acoustic Roots
Blue Beet 100002
2005
(58'34")

Real down home acoustic blues lovers, attention please ! Here's a CD that aims at the essential as it demonstrates a confirmed artist's talent, a man at the peak of his possibilities both technically and soulness speaking, the latter being a major element of this music we have a passion for. Recorded live in the studio with absolutly no overdub except for track 17 John Henry, Richard Ray Farrell plays guitar, harmonica on a rack and sings all at the same time, all this to perfection. Without commenting on the obvious tribute to ancient bluesmen, one can only aknowledge this album is a hell of of a tip of the hat to them, while it absolutly keeps a tone of today. Here Richard Ray Farrell is at the top of his art, the blues, the real thing, the one that takes no prisonner. His finger picking playing should make virtusos who privilege techine over feeling sick, the man making the proof with each and every second of this disc that both can perfectly go together. As for the harmonica on the rack, it's just another evidence of the mastered musicianship of this true one man band who seems to have no other goal than to play the blues for what they are : the expression of a deep feeling that must definitively come out. To make it short, Richard Ray Farrell knows his subject and lets us know in the most beautiful way. 18 covers out of 19 tracks, the man doesn't try to re-invent the blues, but wells it from the source instead just to renew the message the creators of the genre have spread before him. A original composition concludes the album, Blues-Flamenco, as if he wanted to state "this, also, can be done with the blues". In the end, we get about an hour of a pleasure as intense as Richard Ray Farrell's singing and playing. Our advice : go check by yourselves on his website www.richardrayfarrell.com


René Malines