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Ruffyunz
Ruffyunz III
Review by Gary Hill
This is the third release from the funk rock outfit Ruffyunz. You probably figured that from the title, right? The band is made up of Ed Terry (vocals), Randy Pratt (bass and pedals), JZ Barrell (guitar) and Carmine Appice (drums). The music here is so strong, landing most often along the lines of Burn era Deep Purple, but there is plenty of range beyond that.
There are quite a few guests on this release including Pat Travers, Pat Thrall, Tonky Franklin, Jim McCarty, Vinnie Moore, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Derek Sherinian and Fernando Perdomo.
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| Track by Track Review
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Street Corner High
Some scorching guitar gets us underway here. The track works to a dirty sounding, bluesy grind that’s almost metal. Eventually they turn that toward the funk zone, and the track really stomps. The instrumental section later is absolutely on fire. The lead guitars on this track are handled by Pat Travers and Pat Thrall. |
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Looking for the Edge
Derek Sherinian provides keyboards on this number, while Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal shows his fretboard skills off. Frantic, driving and so cool, this thing continues to intensity, funk and hard rock from the opener. It gets taken into some freaky territory at times on this number. This is dynamic and so strong. It has some hints of Burn-era Deep Purple. |
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Malevolent Fool
This is mean and very heavy. I would say that this one qualifies as heavy metal. Yet, it still have that same Deep Purple reference point in place. |
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Red Lines
Another high energy funk stomper, this thing is so cool. It’s nothing close to a big change, but when it’s this good, who cares? Thal is back here on guitar. |
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Playhouse
They drop things down for more of a pure blues jam, complete with harmonica (ably delivered by Randy Pratt). I love the bass work (Tony Franklin handles it in a guest role) on this thing, and the whole track oozes cool. The bass playing on the closing section really steals the show, though. And, the track does evolve beyond it’s more pure blues beginnings before it’s over. Fernando Perdomo lends his guitar and keyboard skills to this number. |
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Electric Mind Control
Vinnie Moore is one of the guitarists on this song. The classy funk rocking sounds are in full control here. This has some hints of Hendrix leanings to me, but that Deep Purple reference is also quite valid. |
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Cadillac Walk
Complete with slide guitar (provided by Jim McCarty), this is an electric blues type tune. It reminds a little of ZZ Top in its riffing. |
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Far Too Long
The guitar soloing on this Deep Purpleish firestorm is exceptional. |
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Warm Oasis
This one gets into some almost jazzy space territory mid-track This is one of the dynamic and innovative things here. It also works really well. This definitely has a lot of that Deep Purple vibe on some of the bluesier parts of the number. |
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Hanging
While not a big departure from the bulk of the album, the ferocity and fire on this really stand out.
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