[Harp-L] CD Review of "Kneaded and Thrown" by Rosco Selly

[PT Gazell <ptgazell@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Kneaded and Thrown"
Ron "Rosco" Selly

First of all, I feel compelled to make a full disclosure about my history with Rosco. We were introduced to each other in 2003 and immediately hit it off.  It was like reuniting with a close friend that you went all through school with. We both had the same sense of humor, we were both raised in the upper Midwest, we were both pretty much the same age. Musically, however we were on different paths. I was exploring jazz standards & American Song Book selections while Rosco was involved in the now defunct group "May.be Au.gust." I always liked that group because the harmonica was being used to play a lot of unison and harmony parts with guitar. A tall order when you have to play chromatically using guitar phrasing. Rosco pulled it off brilliantly.

Since the demise of "May.be Au.gust," I have been aware of Rosco being involved in various duos and trios, but only at arms length. Recently he sent me a CD titled "Kneaded & Thrown." A quick look at the back revealed that Rosco had penned all nine songs...who knew! I admit to thinking of him as just another great harmonica player in a supporting role. It turns out he writes some very intricate and well crafted songs which use the harmonica sparingly, but effectively.

As is often the case, one can hear snippets of who a songwriter was influenced by while they were learning their craft. I suspect Rosco listened to the following at an early age, Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Byrds, The Hollies, & Poco. Don't get me wrong here, these songs are truly his own style...it's just kinda like still being able to hear some elements of Charlie McCoy's style in my playing...it's a good thing.

Fair warning here...this is not a harmonica project. It is nine well written songs which are a culmination of many years of performing and absorbing music and life. The harmonica that is included is extremely well done.

The overall maturity of all the participants makes this a real easy listen.There's an obvious comfort level among all the musicians on this project. Several are from "May.be Au.gust" and others are friends Rosco has made music with for many years. This is apparent in how the selections are arranged and performed. The playing is a tasteful underpinning using dynamics and clever riffs to showcase Rosco's vocals and stories.

A few thoughts about some of the songs:

"Home" ~ features a fiddle with Rosco doing harmony parts on harmonica. I had to listen several times to make sure it was not the fiddle doing his own harmony. Very well done!

"7am" ~ this poignant story is dedicated to Chris Michalek who left us way to early with too little recorded history. Rosco, delivers some very nice soloing here....obviously channeling his friend.

"Recoil" ~ very cool song idea set around the Civil War, in addition to several other pointless conflicts we've participated in. The band really shines on this one. Excellent guitar work here. Nice amped third position solo by Rosco.

"Miles From Nowhere" ~ my personal favorite on the project. Maybe because I have had everyone of these thoughts over the years. Spot on here for anyone who has every been out on the road for any period of time.

"In A While" ~ the perfect way to finish the journey. A ballad with a very nice amped harmonica solo which improvises on the melody...you know how I feel about that kind of thing!

Like I said ... Who knew? Well I'm glad I found out. You should too!

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rosco3
http://roscoharp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/roscocd
Also available for down load on iTunes

PT Gazell