REVIEW: The Grays, Ro Sham Bo
- Bob Gajarsky
What do you have when there are three vocalists in a four-man band, who craft harmonies and musical ablities into purely crafted intellectual pop? The debut album from the Grays, Ro Sham Bo.
The band, whose (individual) collective credits include Jellyfish, the last touring version of 'Til Tuesday, and a tour with General Public, have a diverse musical background. Jon Brion played in a semi-pro jazz band while loving the Sex Pistols; Buddy Judge played covers of the Sex Pistols and Elvis Costello; Jason Falkner studied classical music while listening to the Buzzcocks and covering Scritti Politti and Dan McCaroll, the only non-vocalist in the group honed his drum skills while out on tour with Lloyd Cole.
Impressive and varied credentials to be sure, but the music follows through on the potential. The Grays wear the Beatles influence on their sleeves, as "Nothing Between Us" could have been a well-written George Harrison song, "Same Thing" utilizes a Lennon-like vocal and "Everybody's World" combines a Paul McCartney-like bass line with a hint of Joe Jackson tossed in for good measure. Other bands whose sound could have been an influence on the Grays include Big Star / Alex Chilton, Elvis Costello, R.E.M., Tom Petty, and XTC. Even the track "Oh Well Maybe" has an opening similar to that of Little Richard's "Lucille".
The leadoff radio track, "Very Best Years" won't be a commercial hit but still has a distinct catchy sound. If the band does breakthrough on alternative or rock stations, the song to do it would probably be "Friend of Mine", which oscillates between an almost acoustic sound and solid guitar chords. About the only thing lacking from this well crafted album is the lyrics; I found myself wanting to hear the lyrics associated with this great music, and couldn't do so.
A list of critics top 10 albums annually appears in year-end retrospectives. I'd be very surprised if the Grays Ro Sham Bo wasn't included in many of those lists.
