RYAN McGARVEY – The Road Chosen (2014-2015)

Here’s an album that almost slipped through the cracks, but given it was released in late November last year, I think we’re allowed to sneak into the 2015 reviews. We are talking about young sensation RYAN McGARVEY and his last (third) album “The Road Chosen“.

“The Road Chosen” is an excellent self-released album by Albuquerque, NM based guitarist / vocalist Ryan McGarvey, a fiercely independent artist who operates without an avalanche of PR. Indeed his relatively high profile in Europe has come on the back of relentless road work as he brings his music to the people on their doorsteps.
It’s a strategy that has paid dividends in terms of building things from the ground up and has led him to appearances at several leading European festivals. He’s also copped several awards, including Best Guitarist at the European Blues Awards, 2013 Best New Talent for the prestigious Guitar Player Magazine and many more.

Given the effort that has gone into the CD, its pleasing to report that he’s managed to transfer his spontaneity, energy, creativity and energetic spark into a stylish album full of good songs, strong melodies and superb solos.
Ryan’s music is a classic rock oriented, but very modern in approach, hailing high praise from critics and his rock idols alike. With strong vocals and a knack for the heavy blues scales, the one man wrecking ball delivers another strong performance on “The Road Chosen”.
He is able to offer many different sounds on the album, from quick-tempered rockers to acoustic ballads, he leaves no shade of his strat unearthed.

Ryan is a thoughtful songwriter, an emotive vocalist and a cool guitarist with a welcome sense of restraint, though when he does lean into a full blooded guitar solo on ‘Fading Away’, a sudden fade robs us of a special moment.
His solos and wide array of tones are always delivered as an integral part of the song rather than the song being a vehicle for a million notes. He’s best when he grooves with his road tested band, as on the riff driven, beautifully sculptured ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, which is full of big tones, potent chord changes and a sudden funky wah-wah break that leads into an uplifting solo, before its all too suddenly over.

He’s a artist in the old school sense of the word, who eschews the conveyor belt approach to releasing out 2 or 3 albums a year – we usually have to wait a few years between each release – because he’s not the sort of guy to record anything unless he’s got something new to say.
He works in a wide musical landscape that takes in heavy blues, classic rock, heavy funk and soulful ballads with real substance. He sings from the heart, to suggest that the emotion of a song is everything, while his playing mirrors the intensity and the tonal intricacies of Eric Johnson.

Ryan is also a road warrior who undertakes back-to-back tours of the US and Europe, and then promptly does it all over again. His nomadic lifestyle makes “The Road Chosen” an aptly titled album, full of grooves, sparkling guitar tones, plenty of drive and a flow that levers us into the opening distorted tone of ‘Memphis’, to propel us through a seamless musical journey that comes to rest on the choogling beat and jangling guitars of ‘To An End’.
The fact that he’s an multiple award winning guitarist who was co-opted on to Clapton’s ‘Crossroads Festival’ and is championed by Joe Bonamassa, is more of a reflection of his relentless work load rather than the result of press release hype.

This album confirms that he’s the real deal, with hand crafted songs and expansive arrangements sung with real passion, as evidenced by the acoustic-into-electric ‘My Heart To You’. The latter employs a deliberate stuttered mid-number rhythm before his quivering guitar ascends into the apex of a heartfelt ballad.
‘The Road Chosen’ channels its intensity into a guitar driven set of songs, while the instrumental ‘Firework Eyes’ sounds like a natural extension of what’s gone before, as a flurry of notes and sharp harmonics give the album a notable lift.

The following ethereal sounding ‘Burnin’ Alive’ is a wonderful blend of shimmering tones, impassioned vocals and a wall of sound that envelopes us, while ‘Always & Forever’ is an introspective love song that deftly combines acoustic and electric to find the perfect balance that lies at the heart of an exhilarating album.

Ryan McGarvey is on the fast track to success. Already having played alongside the likes of Clapton and Bonamassa, he has garnered the praise and respect he truly deserves, and this “The Road Chosen” is a clear proof of his talents.
This is the kind of albums that you come back to listen again and again, and never get tired of it.
Highly Recommended.

01 – Memphis
02 – Fading Away
03 – Little Red Riding Hood
04 – My Heart To You
05 – Firework Eyes
06 – Burnin’ Alive
07 – Goodbye Blues
08 – Always & Forever
09 – Wish I Was Your Man
10 – Mean Thing
11 – To an End

Ryan McGarvey (guitar, vocals, percussion)
Sam Miller (bass)
Logan Miles Nix (drums)
Brant Leeper (Hammond B3)

BUY IT !
www.amazon.com/Road-Chosen-Ryan-Mcgarvey/dp/B00PB8HA3Q
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