Posted on: October 3, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 2

Lorrie Ruiz – Chewy / 2007 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.chewyonline.com /

The funk meets jazz sound of “Slipping Away” gives first-time listeners to Lorrie Ruiz a good grounding in the styles that will present themselves throughout “Chewy”. While Ruiz does craft a sound that is rooted heavily in earlier music styles, the resulting music does not sound dated in the least. Instead, the allure of a “Slipping Away” is that individuals of all ages can find something that they can get behind during this track. “Blind Eye” slows things down but Ruiz’ intensity takes a step forward. Rather than resting on her laurels, Ruiz’s vocals take on a new path when they are distorted considerably for “Blind Eye”.

This distortion gives Ruiz more of a range of motion through the rest of the tracks on “Chewy”. “5 Little Fingers” continues in the same Jazz/Funk vein that started off “Slipping Away”, but adds to the mystique of the disc in the tight duet between the piano and bass on the track. Similarly, the back and forth between the drums and the vocals gives “5 Little Fingers” another dimension for individuals to appreciate. Ruiz’s softly-spoken vocals on this track may not have the same terseness present in the instrumental section of the band, but ties things together well. So well, in fact, that a song like the aforementioned “5 Little Fingers” could conceivably be played on radio rotation. “Timelost” speeds things up with the inclusion of a guitar line that could easily make it onto a Santana album; the reinvigorated vocals present during this track continues the same momentum that the sizzling guitars began the track with.

Throw in a disco-worthy bass line that begins soon after, and what one has in “Timelost” is one of the best games of musical “hot potato” that has ever been heard outside of a jam band. Things slow back down during “Is This Real”, but it does not seem in the slightest that Ruiz is trying to pack things in. Rather, the doubleshot of “Timelost” and “Is This Real” shows the logical ends of Ruiz’ music on “Chewy”. What individuals should pick up from this album is that a jazzy, funky style can succeed in the current era, even if the vast majority of influences on the album are twenty and twenty-five years old. Pick up this album, and it should only be a matter of time before Ruiz breaks it big.

Top Tracks: Timelost, Your Love

Rating: 6.4/10

2 People reacted on this

  1. This is really a great album, and I would recommend it highly. I agree with this review, though I would have given the album a numerical rating two points higher.

  2. LOVE this cd!! I can’t get No one said and Is this Real out of my head. Great lyrics and playing.

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