I’m not saying that Ranzel X Kendrick is a genre unto himself, not quite, but he certainly has a very recognizable signature sound. And that is not to suggest that his music all sounds the same, its just that he does have a way of mixing folk and country music so that it seems to take in the dust blown on the desert winds, the open roads, the big skies and the natural beauty of the place that he calls home.
And so it is here, with five new songs that feel as part of the natural landscape as you can imagine. “Ten Speed Blues” sets us off with country licks and cowboy folk grooves, and his signature blend of poetics and humor runs through the lyrics.
“Lighthearted Happy and High” is everything the title suggests, a charming and lilting bluesy acoustic celebration of feeling out of this world, while “Where My Treasure Is” is a more serious and devotional ballad to the love of his life, the piano taking the lead here, the acoustic guitars prefering to work its way into the backbeat, some sublime harmonies and brilliant guitar breaks acting as the icing on the cake.
Some artists are described as having the X-Factor, but I’ll settle for the Ranzel X-Factor every time.
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