Marshall Ruffin

One might pick up Marshall Ruffin’s second release Morning Glory and assume it is an EP. You would be surely mistaken after 40 solid minutes of quality fuzzy, dirty, bluesy rock heard over these five tracks.

While Ruffin’s name is on the front of the album, this is not another solo blues album. This twenty-five year old plays the guitar, sings the vocals, and does the songwriting, but he is joined by Dennis Baraw on bass, Alan Marcha on drums, and Steve Dancz on keys for this album.

Morning Glory reminds me of The Black Keys a lot, which is a good thing since I enjoy them immensely. Some of the other artists that Marshall Ruffin has been compared to include Traffic, Cream, Stevie Ray Vaughn, as well as The Black Crowes.

Vocally Ruffin has a strong voice. At times he sounds like Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys), other times like Stevie Ray Vaughn, and when his voice soars, he reminds me of Ben Harper. Instrumentally everything here is quite good, but with three tracks coming in above eight minutes, they get a little repetitive at times. I certainly expect extensive solos when the songs are performed live, but maybe a bit tighter on the studio release. Personally, I’d like to hear more from the keys on some of the tracks and for the guitars to stand out more on the solos.

Morning Glory is a solid release from Marshall Ruffin. Check out opening track “The Day” for a good idea of what to expect from the other four songs. There isn’t much I don’t like about it, but I feel what I like about it most are the aspects that remind me of other acts that I enjoy. This is by no means a bad thing, but I think that he is capable of putting more of a unique stamp on his songs. There is no doubt that there are bigger better things in store for Ruffin, and Morning Glory is a quality progression towards them.


Kevin Kozel-MuzikReviews.com Staff

December 23, 2009

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“The voice may be the same mix of honey and grits, but everything else has changed. Marshall Ruffin, version 2.0, has hurled forward and bitten into punky blues/rock with a vengeance on this 40-minute hydrogen bomb. Push 'play' and hang on tight!” Hal Horowitz - Georgia Music Magazine

Welp. Marshall dun dun it again. And though it seems somewhat improbable considering the phenomenal quality of his first release, ‘Rich Man’s Dime’, he dun dun it even better! Ruffin’s sophomore effort, ‘Morning Glory’, is even juicier, even bluesier, even grittier than last time. Listening to this second go-round, one might think that the old soul on the front porch of that Mississippi delta shack found his inner Jimi Hendrix and ran with it.

This current collection of songs marks a stylistic departure from the more stripped-down roots-Americana blues vibe of ‘Dime’. ‘Morning Glory’ flat-out rocks. Additional elements to this collection – buzz effects on the guitar, a Hammond organ – make the sound fleshier, groovier, dirtier. This sound is meaty – cooked rare.

I’m far less focused on Ruffin’s story-telling style of lyricism this go round, and far more honed in on the overall feel of the music as a whole. The production on this 5-song EP has an echo effect that makes it seem like he’s playing live to an empty bar. You can almost see the juke box in the corner and the pool tables sitting, waiting to be cued up.

The first track, ‘The Day’ sounds like a seamless meshing of back-bone-slipping Stevie Ray Vaughn guitar styling with wailing Ray Charles vocals. ‘Better Than Waiting’, a 13-plus minute jam session, is the track that most reminds me of the Great Jimi. In spots it gets near hypnotic and psychedelic.

‘Be My Man’ is possibly my favorite of the five songs on the disc. Lyrics like ‘late at night, whisper in my ear all the things that I want to hear’ are howled out over hypnotic, crashing drums and long-winded chords slid down the neck of a steel guitar. This is the kind of song I want to hear when I’m up too late, had too many beers, smoked too many cigarettes, and I’m feeling strung-out and bad-assed.

‘Morning Glory’ has proven to me that Marshall is only getting better. This record has confirmed my first impressions of him when I saw him over a year ago at the Loft. This boy has that indefinable thing that’s going to take him places. And I’m going to be there, saying ‘I knew him when…’ - Little Frog

I saw Marshall Ruffin perform during the CD Release Party for this album, “Morning Glory.” Reviving an old blues sound and combining it with guitars and an electric grunge sound, Ruffin has created something unique that can only be described as American tradition and having spontaneous flavor.

Marshall’s lyrics have emotion and power. He is not afraid to use every range of his voice to accompany his guitar, the drums, and the upright bass that play with him. “The Day” provides a slow, strong beat that you can feel in your bones. You can tell that this album is all about the music for Marshall Ruffin.

The soulful, old rock feel that the guitar and drums match Marshall’s voice, which he sometimes puts aside to lend full appreciation to the music itself. The solos by themselves are enough to make the cd worth listening.

Tracks: The Day, Morning Glory, Be My Man, Better Than Waiting, Hatchet

Artist's Website: http://www.marshalruffin.com

Reviewed by: Megan Morian - Best of Atlanta Concerts