Flyin' Ryan Brothers, The: Blue Marble

On Blue Marble, the fourth album – and first (almost) all-instrumental record – from the dual lead-guitar duo of Jimmy and Johnny Ryan, the brothers let loose with a barrage of soaring harmony leads and six-string interplay – backed by a solid rhythm section that includes bassist William Kopecky and Bob Behnke and Johnny Mrozek on drums and percussion. This time out, though, the multi-instrumentalist siblings also rely on exotic ethnic sounds to give Blue Marble unexpected stylistic diversity. Indeed, Kopecky's use of the sitar and tanpura on the Middle-Eastern-fueled "Baghdad" and "Gaza" add flair to a record with character to spare.

Track lengths range from less than 70 seconds for the drum-heavy "Snake Stretcher" to eight-and-a-half minutes for the soothing melodic swirls of "The Great Divide." In between come the jazzy "American Beauty" and a fun cover of Wishbone Ash's "Blowin' Free" – the only vocal track on this 13-song set. Whether the Ryans are pounding out monster riffs on "Godzilla vs. Mothra" and then flirting with whimsy on "The Road to Galway," or showcasing their film-soundtrack aspirations on the pastoral "Avalon" before gettin' their groove on during the funky "Babel," the duo ensures that no two tracks on Blue Marble sound the same. And in the world of instrumental electric guitar music, that is no small accomplishment.

Track Listing:
1) Baghdad
2) Skytrain
3) Godzilla vs. Mothra
4) The Road to Galway
5) The Great Divide
6) Gaza
7) Blue Ridge
8) American Beauty
9) Snake Stretcher
10) Valley of the Kings
11) Avalon
12) Babel
13) Blowin' Free 2005

Added: March 9th 2006
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score:
Related Link: Official Flyin' Ryan Brothers Web Site
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Language: english

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