“” by Ryan Michael Richards
EP Review by Dyan Garris, New Age CD, Zone Music Reporter (ZMR), Spirit Seeker Magazine, and Retailing Insight Magazine
Do you have time for about 19 minutes of flowing peace in your life? Sure, you do. That’s exactly what we have here in Ryan Michael Richards’ new EP, “More than Time.” Co-produced by the legendary Will Ackerman and Tom Eaton, this 5-song, acoustic guitar-based EP is guaranteed to bring you back to a place of pure tranquility in a jif. – Dyan Garris
Ryan Michael Richards is an acoustic guitar player and composer who grew up in Philadelphia. He began playing the guitar when he was fourteen. After being diagnosed with a learning disability, his family encouraged him to play the guitar as a coping skill. I would say this worked, and perfectly so. There is something special and deeply authentic about Ryan’s guitar playing and that “something” is exactly what has us wishing for more time with this lovely EP.
Extremely melodic and soothing to the spirit, Ryan is joined here by a host of well-known musical talent contributing to this vibe: Jill Haley, Premik Russel Tubbs, Michael Manring, and Charlie Bisharrat. The brief album is dedicated to the loving memory of Ryan Michael Richards’ father, Edward Richards. And a beautiful tribute it is.
The opening piece is “Moving Forward,” which is melodic and smooth and has just the right amount of everything. We can literally feel the forward movement nudging us along in a gentle, provocative way.
“At Your Leisure,” which follows, features multi-instrumentalist, Premik Russel Tubbs and renowned bassist Michael Manring. The flute is gorgeous here, Ryan’s guitar wonderful, and the song is ultra-relaxing and effortless, just as leisure time ought to be.
The unmistakable violin of Charlie Bisharrat layers in beautifully with Ryan’s sensitively played acoustic guitar melody and the equally distinctive English horn performed by Jill Haley on “May I Have This Dance.” This truly feels like a “dance of life” with its mellow, flowing, defined melodies. I just love this.
Almost everyone is familiar with the feeling of “Friday at Five.” It’s anticipation of the weekend, fun, family, and rest. This is masterfully performed and again, melodic, with a nice “heartbeat” to it. Wonderful.
The beautiful EP rounds out with the eternally likeable, “Timeless.” The piece features Ryan’s mellow, rhythmic, flawless, acoustic guitar playing and Premik Russell Tubbs performing on soprano saxophone. This is warm, heartfelt, and beautiful, and even though it’s the end, we do definitely want it to go on forever. More, please!
Official artist website: https://www.ryanmichaelrichards.net
Get “More Than Time” here or on all major digital platforms:
Radio promotion:
Sherry Finzer
Higher Level Media
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