Stuart Ferguson’s sophomore CD Love Songs (And Other Tall Tales) finds the artist in top form as his unusually smooth voice graces his gentle odes to love in its many splendor and not so splendor modes. Ferguson embraces fine musical touches to paint his vision. Yet, his artistic flourishes are only part of the story. He has written songs from the heart and soul and he shares much of himself on this work.
Ferguson’s opening track “Holding Me Down” is a vocal delight. His smooth, handsome tenor graces this nugget of gentle piano, quiet organ, and intricate percussion patterns, packing emotion into each verse with his tender restraint. Ferguson’s voice has a bright, clear timbre that sounds both earthy and light. His thick, solid guitar chords push forward like a slow moving plow, taking its time but certain to get the job done. Lori Diamond’s organ chords thicken the sound and give this tune a flexible backbone. Everything comes together in a way that tugs on the ear.
Next, Feguson puts heart and soul into singing a travel tale he calls “Come Back To Me.” He earnest croon keeps this piece in a reflective mode. His voice widens in places and there’s a bright unique richness in it. His vocal approach controls everything going on, tempo, dynamics, and timbre. He makes you feel as if you’re hearing him live with his vibrant approach.
“Stranger Mine” is notable for its electric guitar kick and its sophisticated piano backdrop. Together, the instruments weave a tapestry of sublime beauty. This tune takes its time unfolding its guitar melody and this lets Ferguson sing widely in tone, giving a lot of warmth to the spaces between the voice and instruments. When he sings “I know there’s life and love there” you can believe he means it.
Ferguson’s song “Wishing Well” is about not being in the best of circumstances and the feeling that controls your thoughts during these moments. Fred Abatelli’s bulbous, palpable bass notes ably punctuate the lilting melody under Ferguson’s svelte voice.
“Half-Mile Down” centers on West Virginia coal miners whom Ferguson clearly sympathizes with as he contemplates a better future for today’s children. The serious theme, however, gets a tender treatment with a warm tone Ferguson brings with his vocal. Juxtaposing seriousness and warmth makes each quality ring truer until the listener is moved by both.
A forlorn piano melody in “Romance” builds a platform for Ferguson’s voice to emote over with his tender observations about a fleeting relationship. A background coo haunts this song with more forlorn tenderness. Such layering without seeming layered is a consistent strength here and throughout Ferguson’s CD.
His song “The River And The Course” moves at river’s pace, Ferguson’s uptempo acoustic guitar playing beneath his svelte tenor perfectly captures the feeling one has when watching the currents move. Phil Punch peppers this tune with many percussion beats and that reminds of all the ripples, splashes, and mini alternative routes as the water courses around rocks large and small and curves around embankments. Each verse is made up of perfect moments as Ferguson’s voice rings out over his fast moving currents of notes and chords.
Ferguson stuns with his ability to make the listener feel what he was feeling when he found the inspirations for his songs. Balancing perfectly voice, bass, and piano “Tear To My Eye” creates the feeling of emotional lethargy and hopelessness during a time of loss. Lori Diamond drops those piano notes and chords at just the right moments to make us feel this song even more deeply.
“Hallelujah” is a voice fest, and it would be an ephemeral moment in time if it was not recorded by Ferguson and his Fashionistas, and documented on this disc. It is doubtful that the same chemistry and harmony between multiple vocalists could ever come together this perfectly with the right lushness and textures.
The darkest, edgiest tune on Love Songs, “Nothing Left To Say,” is Ferguson’s keen narrative that never judges and never flinches from offering snap shots of a bleak situation. Fred Abatelli’s piercing electric guitar melody makes heart-felt incisions into Ferguson’s musical landscape, bringing the vision a whole new dimension of awareness and feeling.
“Revelation” showcases the power of Ferguson’s voice, with its sparse background of acoustic guitar and pedal steel, to move the listener on an emotional level. This singer, in a mellow performance, questions religious salvation from a warm perspective. The pedal steel crying out from the background haunts the tune with a strong emotional undercurrent. Getting more upbeat and hopeful with “Diamond And Pearls,” Ferguson’s assertive strumming and tender vocal adorn his message about “the challenges of this world.” Background coos make his lead vocal come alive with the contrast in timbres.
Ferguson closes out with “Reason’s Rhyme,” a brief piece of nimble acoustic guitar picking and steady even vocal. This final tune offers a sweet accented melody that makes one think of something with no end. There is not a sense of goodbye from Ferguson but a feeling of to be continued. The singer-songwriter has dropped this CD as his latest correspondence on his journey of life. You can sense we will be hearing a lot more from him in the years to come.
www.stuartferguson.net
