LINER NOTES: New Barry Ryan CD

I recently penned the extensive liner notes contained in the booklet of Rockats guitarist Barry Ryan's first solo disc, "And God Said: 'Let There Be Rockabilly.'" It is available on New Jersey's Blues Leaf label.

Here's an excerpt:

"This dynamic solo disc is infused with the same distinctive styling Barry made so crucial to the Rockats's oeuvre, styling that drew on American popular music's blues and country roots and crafted a glorious pastiche at once familiar and excitingly new. (Should you need further testimony to his inimitable fretboard skill check with singer Robert Gordon, who often selects Barry to back him live.)

"Heady, rollicking passages spotlighting his infectious soloing and bubbling with the effervescent fun we all need in our lives are amply represented. They alone would win attention. And for the first time he handles all vocals, demonstrating muscular flair and enhancing the material's uniqueness...

"The electrifying sum is one of articulation as much as instinct, nuance as much as fury...

"Barry's hard-earned experience -- the global touring, the midnight stages, the simultaneous uncertainty and exhilaration of the rock'n'roll life -- informs each twanged, thrashed or elegantly touched-off note."

- DC Larson