Ronnie Fauss – I Can’t Make You Happy EP
self-released 2009
[tags: folk, country, singer-songwriter, 2009]
Listen while reading:
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Ronnie Fauss, critically acclaimed for his New Songs For The Old Frontier Volume 1 release this year, has put a new digital only EP out that features 3 older tracks in remastered versions. It’s called I Can’t Make You Happy and I’m going to do a short track by track review on this one.
The EP starts with the title track I Can’t Make You Happy, a first class country ballad. Ronnie’s voice got a decent reverb on it and sounds a bit out of this world. He sings about putting on old Bob Dylan records and the feelings and problems of relationship. Doing so his voice alters between calm passages and more emotional parts creating a inimate and powerful atmosphere at the same time. The main and only instrument is the acoustic guitar played in a very soft and empatethic way.
Next in line is One Eye Open and, yeeeehaaaa, this track is a country rambler at its best. Drums and percussions, banjo, bass and acoustic guitar – the full sortiment strikes on you. But don’t be fooled by the relatively restraint beginning because the refrain will drive you crazy and the solo at the end will catch your every move. Pure folk and country energy with a dry and self-assured voice again telling a story about relationship…but this time with a nice twist…haha. Great track.
Another song at the end…and yes, it’s actually called Another Song. I think this one got a bit of the first two songs because it’s more in the vein of I Can’t Make You Happy but with more instrumentation (acoustic guitar and banjo) as in One Eye Open. Overall I like the other two tracks a bit more because they got more feeling (in my opinion). But at all times Another Song is also a very good country and folk tune and it deserves the right to be on the EP. Fauss’ voice is a bit more melodic and the the instruments play clever melodies as well.
What’s to say in summary? Ronnie Fauss released a great piece of music with this little EP you should get your hands on if you like country and folk music. You will have ten minutes you want to have again and again. You can buy the mp3s at your iTunes store by clicking here.
And if you have not already checked out his previous release New Songs For The Old Frontier Volume 1, you can listen to it in full length (!) by visiting his personal homepage. I think this is what you want, right? So don’t wait and have a listen. If you want to buy directly via iTunes, click here. And don’t forget to visit Ronnie Fauss’ MySpace.
