Fear & Saturday Night (Thirty Tigers, 2015)
Ryan Bingham
Reviewed by Dan MacIntosh
Ryan Bingham's roughened voice gives added authenticity to the cowboy ballad "Island in the Sky" off his new "Saturday Night album." The project's title, "Saturday Night," suggests party music, but the accordion-colored "Adventures of You and Me" is one of only a few party anthems on this album. Even so, Bingham sure sounds happy singing to its Tex-Mex accordion groove. Bingham may be singing the words, "It's Saturday night, I'm going to town" during "Fear and Saturday Night," but he certainly doesn't sound like he's ready to party it up. Instead, the song is kind of a dirge. Maybe this is Bingham's idea of a Saturday. Perhaps he's just not a party guy.
Although "Saturday Night" is not a traditional country music album - "Radio" features a rocking electric guitar solo, and morphs into a Southern rock tune - but Bingham has one of those vocal styles that always sounds ranch ready and cowboy tough. Even so, the gentle finger picking that drives "Snow Falls In June" will warm any country music loving heart.
Maybe "Saturday Night" is not a party-starter album because from Ryan Bingham's point of view, Saturday is merely just another day of the week.
CDs by Ryan Bingham
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