Eddy Lee Ryder – Sweet Delusions
Maybe it’s a coincidence, but many young artists have been releasing retro 50s & early 60s style music lately in their own accommodating manner. It sounds inviting. Driven by a vintage sound & arrangement but not showcased in a spider web & dusty showcase.
The album spills out 11 jukebox-friendly short tunes that are ear-candy like Lesley Gore once polished her songs for the mass market. These are so well done that they even have a touch of The Go-Go’s (“Our Lips Are Sealed”) as a confection & this is from the cocktail lounge-looking Eddy Lee Ryder. The title track Sweet Delusions (Drops Aug 23/Independent/35:39) is a champagne cocktail of pop music.
She doesn’t explore the more serious layer of this genre as Christine Ohlman who’s been mining this vein for a few years with success. But she’s equally adept. With “Bad Decisions,” Eddy sprinkles the seductive vocal leanings of Missing Person’s Dale Bozzio (“Windows,” “Words,” “Windows,” “Destination Unknown”) into her intonation.
Ryder is an exceptional vocalist & has excellent range without being bombastic. She balances her LP nicely with various tunes & subjects (as varied with emotions, nostalgia, living in the margins, absurdity, melancholy, humor & sorrow). Eddy strengthens each with sharp lyrics & sly arrangements. Each tune is pop gold. They have a catchy attraction that’s mainstream rich. Will it go over with the younger kids? I don’t know.
She pushes forward with early 60s thrust as produced by Dave Cerminara in the Catskill Mountains of NY & later L.A. The “sound” captured (knowingly or not), is what Liberty, Cameo-Parkway & Red Bird Records with Brill Building songwriters worked diligently toward in the 60s. They succeeded. Even the slight touch of “presence” on some vocals with echo is achieved nicely.
I learned through these songs – never break up with a girlfriend who’s also a singer-songwriter or risk being the subject of her songs. I didn’t detect any venom in Eddy’s compositions though. With “Shoop Shoop Shut Up,” Eddy dips a generous finger into the pop pool of The Shangri-Las & Mary Weiss. Lots of angst in the melody & again, the echo in her voice is typical of the early 60s hit singles they produced.
Ms. Ryder harnesses the gusto & spirit of a bygone era but…she doesn’t convey it with any hint of “yesterday.” She adds the assurance that it’s still here today if you enjoy it & can open your ears. However, with “County Fair,” she’s more like a Woodstock-Saugerties, NY artist. Not the early ’60s pop singer. Closer to Neil Young, James Taylor & Joni Mitchell & equally fine.
Highlights – “Sweet Delusions,” “Highwaymen,” “Bad Decisions,” “Joke Is On Me,” “Antarctica,” “Pennyroyal Tea,” “Shoop Shoop Shut Up,” “Smoke & Mirrors” & “County Fair.”
Musicians – Eddy Lee on vocals; Daniel Chae on bass, guitar, and synths; Todd Caldwell on keys; Dave Shephard on keys; Rich Hinman on pedal steel; Dan Bailey on drums; Abby Payne and Rebecca Haviland on harmonies.
CD @ Apple Music & https://www.eddyleeryder.com/about
Song premiere: https://americanahighways.org/2024/04/29/song-premiere-eddy-lee-ryder-county-fair/
