Rick Ray - "The Guitarsonist" @ Score! Music Magazine

	Rick Ray - The Guitarsonist
	Location	Euclid, OH
	Initial Impression	Please tell me I'm not going to have to sit through a CD of musical masturbation by a guitar virtuoso.
Notable Lyric	"Paranoia's written on his face" from "Psycho Sam."
Factoid	The envelope came with this great ink collage - it's on the voyeur page now!
Serve With	Constrictor, black face paint, and a straight jacket.
Comments	With a title like The Guitarsonist I was afraid Rick Ray was a Steve Vai/Eric Johnson wanna-be who had recorded a series of so-called songs that did nothing but basically glorify his technical chops. Instead, Ray has put together an eclectic collection of guitar-driven, moody and often heavily rocking tunes, almost a concept album. His vocals and lyrics remind me of old-school Alice Cooper in his "Welcome to My Nightmare" and "Only Women Bleed" days, while some of the mumbled pseudo-background conversations and laughs harken to Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime. The addition of clarinets (electric, bass and regular) add a bit of jazz to the mix, making this album more experimental and avante garde rather than your usual rock-founded offering.
URL	communities.msn.com/GuitaristRickRay
Reviewer	Cristy (2/03)