Ferris Mudd (the band) is a trio hailing from Alabama. Comprised of Steve Richard (lead vocals, lead guitar, guitar synth, acoustic guitar), Danny Dicus (bass, acoustic guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), and Lester Meredith (drums, percussion, keyboards, acoustic guitar, backing vocals), the band writes and performs progressive rock with a heavy melodic emphasis. Steve Richard’s vocals offer some degree of comparison to other high tenor singers in the field (Jon Anderson, of course, comes to mind), while also providing substantial guitar playing to the mix. Danny Dicus and Lester Meredith are a solid rhythm section, although the mostly slower material does not offer up severe shifts in complexity.

Ferris Mudd (the album) is a pleasant enough CD, and showcases a lot of skill, both from a performing standpoint and from a songwriting/arranging standpoint. The biggest issue is that the songs, while nicely melodic and sharply produced, simply don’t offer up the kind of memorable hooks necessary to make this an album that gets stuck in a CD player (or a listener’s head) with little chance of release. It’s a decent enough debut CD, offering examples of the band’s obvious skill and capabilities, but with an odd sense of restraint that does not suit the recorded material. Future efforts hopefully will rectify this, offering the band a greater showcase of what they have to offer.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2007 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.