Disco de The BellRays: “A Bellrays Christmas”

I remember the bellrays being an exciting but not quite formed in their sound band having purchased a few singles and an early album but i discovered this album on emusic and delved in wow !

Its like the greatest rock n roll mixed with atlantic soul brilliant vocals great riffs horns sax what more could you want half the songs sound like soul standards only they're all originals and the rockier sound rocks like the proverbial rocking thing

if you like real music if you have a craving for some real soul music not whats described as r n b these days buy this cd you wont regret it

now if they could just tour the uk

The Bellrays are a cool band that is getting some attention. They are a little more musical than most bands. A little more like Curtis Mayfield than Electric Six. Lisa Kekaluah is a cool singer. These songs are their strongest yet. I look forward to seeing the Bellrays. I like "Chainsong" and "Detroit Breakdown" a lot. This is cool music. Michael Dutcher is their manager. Piper Ferguson took the photo. This is a band on the rise.

What a pleasant surprise it has been to review The Bellrays' 2006 release on Cheap Lullaby Records, Have A Little Faith! It has been one of the most refreshing `Rock' albums that we've seen come out of the 21st century and is rooted in a combination of the classic and modern rock sounds of such groups as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jimi Hendrix and the Detroit Cobras while mixing ever-so-subtly with the original R&B/Motown sound while still managing to mix in tidbits of Jazz, Punk, Funk & Soul.

Yes, all this is presented throughout a jam-packed thirty-eight minutes in an easily-digestible and sweet-tasting blend--sometimes dubbed as the newly-formed genre `rock `n' soul,' which leaves both your mind and spirit craving more and more after each infectious song!

Right off the bat, we almost lost ourselves nodding to Bob Vennum's beguiling bass intro on "Tell The Lie," which was quickly followed by Tony Fate's funky guitar rhythms and Lisa Kekaula's soul-drenched vocals that seem to effortlessly ride atop of this tidal wave of sound know as The Bellrays!

Craig Waters' 'surf drums' meet punk riffs on "Time Is Gone," while The Bellrays rock it oh-so-hard on "Chainsong," which breathes a lively air into the track by breaking down into smoothed-out jazzy grooves only for a moment which creates a lively combination of genres and surprisingly finishes out in an acoustic `studio session outtake,' further mashing up more genres than you can count on one hand in less than three and one half minutes!

"Pay the Cobra" and "Snotgun" blow through your mind with great off-beat jazzy breakdowns layered between fast-paced sections of melodic rock and seem to be made up of one part Jimi Hendrix and one part Sex Pistols, while still bringing the soul on home with each line!

It seems as though the last four or five decades of rock are well-represented on Have A Little Faith, making sure to not leave out the heavy guitar riffs of the 80's on "Change the World," along with above average production that allows this group to develop their own niche genre--even making experimental/noise breakdowns shine brightly through the madness of a group that has truly found their voice!

"Detroit Breakdown" showcases the `fire' that The Bellrays consistently bring to the table, while letting the listener know that they are *not* your average `rock band,' strongly enforced by their own special blend of eclecticism and musical perfection as they continue to hone their craft year after year.

Tribal drumming leads us into our expedition on "Lost Disciples," while the overlapping bassline and numinous vocals tell stories of foreign lands and their inhabitants that are given the gift of resurrection about ½ way through the song with the onset of a serpent-like shaker that further goes on to foretell of the kings that so gently pass through the night, only to rise again in the Eastern sky the next morn.

The Bellrays bring about their truly American sound again on "Everyday I Think of You," with vocals that perfectly ride the groove in a funk/soul/rock/blues crossover boasting a definite pop-sensibility and could easily be dubbed "The New Sound of Detroit" (from across the country...).

The timeless nature of "Maniac Blues" sweats through like that on Jimi's handkerchief and will be thoroughly enjoyed by fans of all ages and musical tastes, while country-ish sounds meet a brand of progressive rock that is similar to the likes of King Crimson on the last song, "Beginning from the End." This nearly-over album seamlessly flows into an Indian/Bollywood snake-charming trance--finishing again with a rolling rock crescendo and offering the listener a sneak peak `behind-the-scenes' of The Bellrays' craft--with the politically spoken acoustic powerhouse of a hidden track that lasts but a couple dozen seconds... ...beckoning the listener to have another go around of it!!

"A fearless female-fronted rock band that arouses a faithful fan base with its clever blend of century's worth of genre-bleeding and eclecticism"--Brian Ball, Music Editor/Director of Music & Talent