Americana/country artist, Ryan Farmer, formerly known as Ryan Thomas, will be releasing his new EP, Lurch, on November 20th. The EP finds the 21 year old Ryan and his band telling tales of the Texas bar room, the blues of the Mississippi Delta, and traditional folk of the Appalachian Mountains. Lurch is a mixture of Delta blues, folk, and pure honky tonk country, and extremely refreshing to listen to. It’s always refreshing to hear real, raw, good music, and that’s exactly what Lurch is.The record opens with the bluesy gospel flavored “Devil Gonna Leave Me Be”, which tells some of the most famous biblical stories in a really fresh, modern way. Some of the Biblical people mentioned are David (who slew Goliath), Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and Job. Ryan sings about the trials and dangers the men went through, and the fact that their faith in God kept them from perishing. The song is extremely catchy, and will make you sing along with the chorus, “I won’t worry and I won’t cry/ Lord I know where I’m bound if I die/ and I’ll be going there laughin’ cause the devil gonna leave me be.” This is indeed my favorite song on the record, one that I will be adding to my playlist immediately. “Down That Road” also has a gospel feel to it due to the vocal delivery, with the production featuring a roots mixed with blues sound. The song tells the tale of a rambling man making his way home to someone he loves.
The pure honky tonk country “Jessica” finds the narrator singing to a young woman named Jessica, reminiscing about all the good times they had together and all the dreams the shared. The listener finds out that they are still together, yet they really shouldn’t be, as the relationship has clearly gone stale. They had so many hopes and dreams, but none of them came to life, and now they’re left to just get by. Jessica is clearly miserable and wishes that she was anywhere but there with him.
Lurch features a cover of Merle Travis’ “16 Tons”. Ryan’s version is faster paced and blues-infused, which actually adds a lot of character to the track. Ryan pulls off this cover perfectly, like he was born to sing this song. You really can’t help but to sway and sing along to it. I’m very familiar with the original version, and I have to say, I actually like Ryan’s version better. That doesn’t happen very often, my liking a cover better than the original. I’m a staunch lover of classic country, so I tend to not really get on board with covers. This one is one of the few exceptions. Excellent job Ryan!
The record closes out with “Tennessee Line”, a track that is pure country in its rawest, realest form. The song is beautiful and melancholic. It’s the perfect way to end a stellar record. There’s not a bad or weak song on this album, which is quite rare these days. If this EP is any indication of what’s to come, I can’t wait to hear more from Ryan Farmer. If you’re looking for excellent, real music, take a listen to Lurch.
Originally posted here.
