David Ryan Harris Albums

What The Critics Say

On his first solo album (recorded for old pal Brendan O'Brien's imprint at Columbia Records), former Follow for Now frontman David Ryan Harris pursued a far different path than his former band, although with no drop-off in musical variety. Where Follow for Now's lone album crackled with a volatile mix of punk, funk, and ska, David Ryan Harris is a more restrained affair, showcasing the Atlanta musician's singer/songwriter leanings in several different settings. He certainly hasn't forgotten how to rock, as songs like "King Karma," with its piledriving, Hendrix-style riff prove. But Harris smoothly shifts gears to offer the folky R&B of "If I Had a Dime" and the swinging, Stevie Wonder-ful "Tricks Up My Sleeve," even managing to replicate a bit of R.E.M. jangle on the propulsive "Six Feet Off the Ground." If there's a weakness here, it's that -- save for that latter tune -- most of these songs are subtle constructions that need a few listens to sink in. That fact, combined with Harris' standard defiance of racial pigeonholing, probably combined to doom this album commercially, but it's a mature and thoughtful effort that history shows -- given the crop of guitar-strumming new soul pinups who appeared a few years after its release -- was simply ahead of its time. ~ Dan LeRoy, All Music Guide