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Ruffyunz II Review by Gary Hill This second album from Ruffyunz might be even stronger than the first. Their blend of funk, hard rock, metal, psychedelia and prog is both familiar and fresh. These guys are impossible to classify, but very easy to enjoy. There are a number of guests on the album including Don Airey, Dave Manketti and Pat Thrall, but the core band is Ed Terry, Randy Pratt, JZ Barrell and Bobby Rondinelli. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2023 Volume 4 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2023.

Track by Track Review

Hype in My Head Killer funk rock is in the driver's seat on this powerhouse opener. Everyone is positively on fire here. There are some metallic angles to this at times.

Back It On Up While the funk is still a driving force, there are some almost prog rock angles and some world music progressions in place at times. There are parts of this that make me think of Deep Purple.

Undercover Agent for the Blues There is a bluesy angle to this, but you expect that from the title, right. Randy Pratt adds some talk box to the tune. This is edgy and rather metallic, too. It has some funk, but not to the level we've heard on previous tunes. I think I might like this better than the two that preceded it.

Doesn't Matter This thing gets more experimental mid-track. I really love some of the bass work. It's still got a gritty, funky edge at play. There are some killer vocal hooks, too. There is a cool, psychedelically tinged, Beatles-like section around the three-quarters mark. They also take it into some psychedelic rocking stuff beyond that.

Candyman Driving and rocking, this song has a real sense of danger built into it. It's a powerhouse that has hints of metal and psychedelia in the mix. This is such a classic sounding song.

Dark Side I dig this classy rocker. It has some Zeppelin in the mix along with funk, trippiness and a lot of more. It's another side of the group, but it also fits in with the rest. The guitar soloing is positively on fire.

Slither Man To some degree this makes me think of something Zappa might have done. It has a meaty, funky blues rock angle to it. A lot of the vocals are nearly spoken. This is so classy.

Bubbles Edgy, classic sounding funky rock is on the menu here. As timeless as this sounds, it's also got some modern edges to it. It's another winner on a disc that has no weak material.

Can't Slow Down A driving hard rocking tune, this is a real monster. The guitar soloing on this is positively incendiary. They really take this thing through some tasty shifts and turns in the extended instrumental section. This is another that has some Zeppelin leanings.

Keep It Coming The vocal arrangement on this is cool. The riffing is so meaty. The whole tune rocks out with a lot of style and charm. This gets really intense before it's over.

The Game There are some intriguing angles here. Psychedelia, prog and more seem to merge here. I can make out some hints of both Deep Purple and Dream Theater on this thing. It's another that shows a different side of the act. It drops to some trippier, more sedate stuff mid-track and gradually builds out with a lot of magic in the arrangement. The song is another of my favorites here.

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