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Harvest The Light Kelly Richey With ten album releases under her belt, Kelly Richey's latest, Carry the Light, may very well be one of the most notable, as the veteran musician who has long lingered with the status of legend, may finally earn such regards. The approach in creating Carry A Light has evolved from her previous focus on an organic live feel, instead offering listeners a studio record that boasts the perfection of a finely produced composition. Richey brought her masterful guitar-playing to producer Rick Brantley, whose studio is widely known as a guitarist's mecca. The resulting album, released on Kelly's own Sweet Lucy Records and titled Kelly Richey, seems a little Kelly-centric, but when asked about the creation of the record Richey quickly points out a deep appreciation for the contributions from her guitar mentor John Redell, fellow guitarist Steve Carroll, and Kelly Richey Band drummer Shane Frye. The aforementioned Kelly Richey Band, comprised of Richey, Frye, and bassist Jimmy V, is of particular note for the array of awards they've claimed in route to becoming the benchmark for blues bands in the Cincinnati, Ohio region.
Carry the Light isn't traditional blues, this is the sort of blues made famous by Zeppelin and the Stones, a gritty blues rock riding dirty electric riffs, but echoing more Stevie Ray Vaughan than Jimmy Page. Commanding guitar solos are littered throughout the album; my favorite track in this regard is “Lookin' For A Fight”, a song composed of much less threatening lyrics than the title might suggest. I've come across some critics pegging this as more of a contemporary rock sound than blues rock, and while the lyrical content may not be particularly brooding, the soulfulness raging from her guitar walks a line originating at a man on his porch singin' of those Delta Blues. Her charismatic presence and haggard beauty make for an obvious Janis Joplin comparison, but she doesn't quite carry the angst of Joplin. If pressed for a contemporary mainstream comparison, I would point to John Mayer based on guitar mastery alone, so this means the real Mayer not the dulled down pop tracks he churned out to get rich. For those who love the magical abilities of electric guitar and those who yearn for a new taste of blues rock done right, Kelly Richey's Carry the Light is highly suggested.
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