PopSyndicate.com

Wow!  Richard Julian croons like Clapton on this mellow album perfect for a lazy afternoon of reading and relaxing.

You never know if a musician can keep up with the successes of their previous works. Sometimes they make it, sometimes they are so far off that not even their most adoring fans will claim them.
But after two years of fevered writing and recording between gigs with The Little Willies, Julian has produced a fifth full-length album of ballads that is guaranteed to win over easy listening fans. The blend of Julian’s voice with the guitar, keyboards, upright and electric basses, and percussion is smooth, soothing away the stresses of the day. Julian’s clean, clear and strong voice lends itself to acoustic ballads, and compels listeners to stay tuned. And, thank God, he rhymes with his lyrics!

The best of the best on this album are the acoustic tracks and the words of the songs.  The bad part is this album ends too soon, leaving the listener wanting more.Julian spent the past few years fronting The Little Willies, a low-key country collaboration with pals Norah Jones, guitar whiz Jim Campilongo, bassist Lee Alexander and drummer Dan Reiser, and guesting with Tim Luntzel’s soul-jazz combo The Brooklyn Boogaloo Blowout. Julian and pal Jesse Harris also teamed up to play with and write for Sasha Dobson on her 2006 album Modern Romance, supporting the singer on a series of live dates. Julian, along with Harris and Dobson, also performed together at the prestigious American Songbook series at Lincoln Center’s Allen Room, which garnered him a rave review in The New York Times.

He’s performed with Norah Jones and I didn’t know he could do duets.  But his singing with her has brought an extra perspective to his life.  Julian found out he can sing with others instead of being a solo performer. He said this in his bio on his web site, adding that he felt even more sure of himself for having sung with Jones.  See www.myspace.com/richardjulian for more details.

This entire album is a treat to the ears.  The smooth sound and words hit home with listeners.  You’ll sit and listen to each song unless you’re up dancing to the music.  The beats are good, the acoustics are fantastic and this deserves extra stars for the artist’s performance.

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