Artist: Ryan Star
Album: Last Train Home [EP]
Released: June 16, 2009
Tracks:
1 – Last Train Home
2 – Brand New Day
3 – Right Now
4 – This Could Be The Year
Review: And so we await the next album from Ryan, 11:59 due in December, but in the meantime we have been given a tasty little treat to nibble on. The Last Train Home is just 4 songs, but if it’s a good indication of what’s coming on the full album, then we are in store for something great.
So, if any of you are like me, you first heard Ryan’s voice on Rock Star: Supernova a few years back. Yes, I agree he should have won the show. There was something to his voice that just made me want to hear more. I can’t really put my finger on it, but its something special that your run-of-the-mill singers don’t have. Perhaps it’s passion, sincerity, and just rawness that help shape his stylings. One need only listen to his version of R.E.M.’s Losing My Religion on that show to know what I am talking about. In fact here…listen:
So after a performance like that, you have to figure there is something worth hearing out of him in the future. ..And there was. Ryan’s first album, Songs From The Eye Of An Elephant, was fantastic. The album was better than what I expected, and Mr. Star proved to the world that the TV show was no fluke, and he could not only sing, but write some great tunes as well.
So where does that leave us now?
Well with Ryan’s second album forthcoming, The Last Train Home gives us a good enough look to see that we can indeed expect another great album. The title track feels like a story told with fire and passion. Again it’s something in the authenticity of his voice that makes these songs real. Breathe is more of the same excellence. All these songs create a certain ambiance that is just comfortable and puts you in a place that you do not quickly want to leave. Sometime it’s hard to describe exactly what you feel when hearing a song, and that is the case here for me. Bottom line they are just good. Right Now is a little more fun, loose, and poppy; a very radio friendly cut in my opinion. This Could be the Year is another nice, intense song, sure to be a fave.
These four tracks are all very good, and worth listening to. I suggest checking them out on Ryan’s website and purchasing them on iTunes if you dig ‘em. Of course you could wait for the full album release of 11:59…but who can wait right? And Ryan has to eat, help a musician out. =)
Check him out on tour with David Cook, as well. I saw him open up for Collective Soul, in Houston earlier this month, and he put on a great show!
Rating: 8/10 Flames…Great stuff just wish there were even more tracks. I suspect the full album will get a higher rating even. We shall see.
Visit Ryan Star online:
Where to buy:
or on iTunes
also check out Ryan’s old band, Stage.
