'Face to Face' by Professor RJ Ross
LA Examiner
June 28, 2010
by Oscar Brooks
The debut album Face to Face by Professor RJ Ross is refreshing and easy to listen to. Mr. Ross has been in the music business for many years, but this is his first solo album. He was a keyboardist and singer with different groups in his native Detroit. He got the nickname "Professor" because of his seriousness about music and expertise at running rehearsals. Professor RJ Ross and the University of Soul really deliver on this CD.
The album has the sound of soul, blues and a little bit of funk to it. It has quite a variety of songs ranging from Johnny Mercer to America. Honestly, all 14 tracks on the CD are good. The songs that stood out for me were 'Summertime', the Gladys Knight and the Pips hit , 'I've Got to Use My Imagination', 'Wishing', Steely Dan's 'Do It Again', 'Electricity' and the Beatles 'Drive My Car'. Ross uses his deep and sensuous voice to give these songs a different flavor that is a joy to listen to.
The musicians playing on this album really complement Ross. Steve Gad plays drums on five of the songs. The great Neil Larsen plays Hammond organ. Saxophonist Ernie Watts plays on five songs and Jerry Stucker plays guitar on all songs. A special shot out goes to Sandy Griffith and Jeannie Tracy for their excellent work on background vocals. I really like listening to this album. It is great to hear it in your car or if you're sitting at home in your favorite chair.
A big 'thanks' goes out to Chrissy Sutphin of Luck Media & Marketing (http://www.luckmedia.com) for introducing me to this project. If you want to know more about Professor RJ Ross, log onto http://www.professorrjross.com.
