Roll It Down

Roll It Down

Editorial Reviews
<"b0002iqi607499"> Amazon.com
On his fifth release, Ray Bonneville marinates his music in the blues, but adds a few extra spices to keeps things simmering nicely. Bonneville is an accomplished songwriter with a good ear for metaphor--"Tiptoe Spider" perfectly captures a certain type of creepy guy, and a willingness to experiment. On "Slow Matin," for example, his lyrics switch back and forth between French and English, an unusual move in a blues tune, but one that deftly creates the appropriate mood of early morning laziness and lust. Bonneville plays electric guitar on just about every track, but the laid-back tempos give this CD an almost acoustic feel. He eschews the wailing pyrotechnics of many blues guitarists in favor of loping infectious grooves that owe more to the down-home sound of, say, Mississippi John Hurt than to the more raucous Chicago bluesmen. Bonneville is not as flashy as some, but his poetic lyrics, laconic delivery, and irresistible groove have charms that grow with repeated listening. --Michael John Simmons

<"b0002iqi605020"> Ray Wylie Hubbard
"Like gunpowder and opium!"

<"b0002iqi604999"> Album Description
From Montréal to Austin! Ray Bonneville (king of the smoldering groove) makes his US record label debut with this very hip and spell-binding CD. Guests artists include rising-star vocalist Jonell Mosser, Richard Bell (Bonnie Rait, The Band) and Joey Spaminato (NRBQ). A master of electric guitar, harmonica and vocals in the tradition of JJ Cale and Eric Clapton, Ray delivers this awesome collection with his characteristic "been there/done that" delivery. His fresh take on songwriting and inventiveness are the epitome of cool and never cease to amaze.