Another Ride
Chad Farran does an excellent job of merging diverse musical influences into his own unique style on his new CD, Another Ride. The vibe of this recording is decidedly laid back (think surf folk à la Jack Johnson), but the instrumentation, grooves, and melodic ideas consistently draw on the mysterious and fiery sensibilities of Latin music.
Check the credits on the inside of the disc and you’ll find an amazing array of funky instruments employed in creating these sounds (many played by Mr. Farran himself). The layered lead and harmony vocals bring nice texture to the music and reminded me of Sting and Paul Simon. “Like Water,” “Guiding Star,” and “Another Roll” stand out with their infectious grooves and melodic hooks.
I love the way the hooks are not only delivered in the lead vocals (the catchy chorus in “Guiding Star”) but also in the instrumental tracks (the hypnotic harmony flutes in “Another Roll” and the tasty background melody on the chorus of “Come So Far”).
“Growing Old” uses a dobro and a cello to create an almost psychedelic sound, and this eerily pretty track reminded me of something John Lennon and George Martin might have cooked up after drinking a couple of mojitos.
“Confess” will bring the haunting beauty of “Fragile” (by Sting) to mind, using some beautiful violin and fretless bass work to create the most sonically satisfying piece on the disc.
The title track, at first, bugged me in the way that the tempo and groove suddenly changes mid-way through the tune, but then it grew on me with the way it brings the artist’s more mellow, reflective side into contrast with his more playful, upbeat side.
Several San Diego musical heavyweights add their talents to the impressive abilities of Farran on this disc, with Jimmy Lewis’ awesomely tasty lead guitar and Glen Fischer’s amazing bass playing standing out the most. Very enjoyable work here and anyone who digs their music flavored on the Latin side will be particularly turned on.
by Craig Yerkes
San Diego Troubadour