Ry Jennings

Teddy and the Rough Riders have been perennial favorites around here, swerving from the cosmic end of the country canon to a more buttoned up Nashville presence over the years. The band’s core of Jack Quiggins and Ryan Jennings have kept the fires burning through lineup changes over the years, but for the latest release in the band’s extended family Jennings goes it alone. While there was certainly a Byrds strain that crept into last year’s Downhome, the folk breeze blows even stronger on Whisperin’ Ry. The Rough Riders are no stranger to a classic twinge in their twang, but the songs here are indebted more to the ‘50s and ‘60s strummers rather than the studio-silvered visions from the ‘70s. Jennings is more than happy to play the lonesome troubadour, though, keeping the setup stripped for the most part and the tone vacillating somewhere between Hazelwood, Dillard & Clark, and a touch of Townes’ more upbeat moments.

The lighter touch looks good on Jennings, and the record leans into a kind of innocence that’s sometimes stripped away these days; dismissed as frivolous, unserious, or saccharine. Whisperin’ Ry is none of those things, though. The record filters through the green light of the trees, a vernal gem that understands the value of levity. While Jennings is mostly solo here, the embellishments that remain are painted on with a steady hand. The harmonies sway through Spanish guitar strums with a familial grace, wrapping the listener in a layer of comfort. Flutes scamper through a few songs, playing into the folk undercurrents that anchor Jennings’ opuses, and keep the record from soaring away like a kite on the wind. It’s readily apparant how much fun Jennings is having and that joy drives the album. It’s a perfect foil for the end of Summer’s sway, an a match for any of the Rough Riders’ regulars.

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