First Listen: Ron Gallo “Ronny”
A little bit country, a little bit rock n’ roll…and some other stuff I can’t quite put my finger on, but its damn good. Ron Gallo’s solo effort ‘Ronny’ is a delightfully pleasing collection of 11 tracks that will make you sway to the rhythm and sing out with the songwriter.
Gallo’s got a soft innocence to his voice. It’s melodious, gentle, and smooth as a finely aged whiskey. It pulls you in real close, makes you comfortable, and really causes you to listen to the songs. He has a lonesome howl to his timbre in tracks like “Fine Diners & Finer Whiners” while other tracks such as “If You Ever Come Back” put the lower, more somber register of the songwriter’s voice on display as well as his smooth and flawless range…it also shows Gallo’s extreme talent as a “mouth trumpet” player, now that’s true talent! The way he annunciates is reminiscent of Ray Charles at the piano type vibe at times. There’s a sense of the blues and soul in his voice. Perhaps Gallo belongs back in the 50s, singing to dinner crowds or something. The best way I can describe this musician’s vocal work is “charming”. It really is just great.
“Started A War” has hints of Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams and Jeff Buckley. This is one of the most moving pieces on the album to me. The emotion and strain in Ron’s voice is really something. It has a slow country, dusty road, a lone barroom vibe to it. Slow trodding, elastic guitar line, and a whole lot of rootsy goodness.
“Split in Two” has a bit more of a Dylan feel to it. The opening line is something I could imagine coming out of one of his old notebooks.
You sit in your room / feels like a tomb
With its acoustic guitar driving the song along and the lyrics pulling you in, I can’t say it’s a standout because all the tunes here are great, but it is one I gravitate towards.
The songs are well written, they are fun at times. Gallo’s sense of humor shines through in many of the tunes. A funny guy, there is a slight “not too serious” edge to some of the material, but the lyrics are still affecting in a way that makes you think about the songs.
Gallo’s band Toy Soliders is on an indefinite hiatus, which I am hoping means we will be seeing a lot more solo material from the singer/songwriter. I think what he has here is a collection of great songs, with evident and very well incorporated influences. Gallo takes the singer/songwriter’s approach to a record and makes it a bit more exciting. These are great songs played by a great songwriter.
