REVIEW: Jimmy Ray, Jimmy Ray (Epic)
- Bob Gajarsky
The history of 1950s music is littered with music performed by black artists, and then achieving a greater level of 'popular' success, in a watered down format, by a white performer. Elvis' career can be rationalized by his later successes, but is there any doubt that Pat Boone destroyed "Tutti Frutti" or "Long Tall Sally"?
Falling somewhere between the two extremes that Elvis and Pat present is that of Jimmy Ray. The 22 year old East Londoner (Walthamstow, to be precise) has already captured the hearts of radio programmers with the rockabilly meets 90s sound of "Are You Jimmy Ray?", and if initial feedback is any indication, slick-backed hairdos may be poised for a comeback because of Ray's charismatic personality.
A first listen through Jimmy Ray echoes George Michael's "Faith" days - complete with his Wham backing singers of Pepsi & Shirlie. Traces of Andrew Ridgeley's former partner are evident in the music long before the recognition of a title which echoes back to Wham's heydays of the mid-80s; "Let It Go Go". While Michael brought more of a dance beat to his reinterpretation of the 50s, Ray adds univentive drum loops.
Prior to his breakout single, Ray's career followed the same course as many other English wanna-be musicians; jobs at Woolworth's supplementing failed attempts at a Smiths-inspired band (The Cutting Room) and a pop/techno group known as A/V. But it was his partnership with Con Fitzpatrick in early 1997, coupled with their love of fifties music, that yielded the right combination.
"By February, 1997, I had some rough demos," Ray remembers. "I was keen to produce my album by myself, but Lincoln (Elias, Sony U.K. representative) said 'I know this guy into Fifties rock and roll and contemporary pop music, just like you.' That was Con Fitzpatrick...we got on straightaway, and ended up co-producing most of the album."
"I Got Rolled" is likely to be the second single, with its "Wille and the Hand Jive" guitar chords. "Trippin' On Baby Blue", the most original song on the album, might have its harmonica-based introduction right out of "Love Me Do", but the remainder of the track is strong, with a slight nod to a faster version of "Tears of a Clown", yet still maintaining a sense of individuality. While there are other singles to be plucked from this bird, Jimmy Ray doesn't offer an endless supply of perfect three and a half minute singles.
At thirty five minutes in length, Jimmy Ray's self-titled debut album is more likely to gain converts from the alterna-something region than to recruit people who were around when Palisades Park was an attraction AND a song. Let's just hope that the younger set take a look back at the Carl Perkins' and Little Richard's of the fifties before they dub Jimmy Ray the next Jimmy Dean.
