His laid back country blues style that he calls “been dipped in blues Americana” was heavily influenced by his time is New Orleans. Of this he says “There were so many great drummers to learn groove and time from, great piano and guitar players to be influenced by, and man, the singers and horn players just made your heart go wild with excitement! This was the place that influenced me the most. It was infectious. I learned that solid, but laid back rhythm is like a tightrope on which the notes and words can do their dance.” His passion is playing live, and frequently does so solo, so it is no surprise that the tunes on the disc are somewhat stripped down tunes highlighted by Ray’s rough voice, harmonica and percussive electric guitar style. Many of the tunes sound like he could be playing dead on covers of Bob Dylan or Tom Waits tunes yet he wrote all the tunes. Co-producer Gurf Morlix also plays bass on most of the tunes. Highlights include Ray’s ode to New Orleans “I Am The Big Easy,” and “Shy Star,” a shy, soft tune featuring mainly guitar and vocals. There is not a great deal of variety on the disc but the tunes are laid back and easy on the ears, great for a time when you just feel like kickin’ back and takin’ it easy! Don Zelazny is a music lover who plays dentist by day.  He ‘listens’ with his two young children, and wife Michelle in Michigan.