| ANCIENT AND THE INFANT |
| Exhibiting how well Cooley weaves
seemingly dissimilar musical elements are tracks like
'HEARTBEATS', a soaring acoustic piece with a
rock-tinged break and a touch of the blues. There's
also the title track, 'THE ANCIENT AND THE
INFANT', with its baroque-orchestral introduction
and its hints of bossa nova rhythms.
In showing his jazz roots, the guitarist gives us 'CIRCLES', a straightahead-influenced jazz song played within the tasteful confines of a small, mostly acoustic ensemble. Going from the more traditional to the primary modern, Cooley drifts into the jazz/fusion cut, 'FIRST SMILE', featuring the saxophone of Tom Hartig. Along the most
delicate and subtle lines of the pop and classical arenas
comes the pensive 'GRANDFATHER'S CLOCK', a
selection spotlighting Ron's acoustic work.
Especially pretty are the album's last two tracks,
'CARLA' (sic) and 'LULLABY'. On
'LULLABY', Cooley inflects his tender
composition with the ancient sound of the balalaika. With
his ever-changing display of old and new musical forms,
Ron Cooley makes 'THE ANCIENT AND THE INFANT'
both a technically satisfying and melodically pleasing
work." "Cooley plays attractive steel-and nylon-string acoustic in a variety of settings centered around new age, pop, and jazz. On a few cuts he adds singing electric guitar melodies, and on 'Circles' he engages in some cool single-string riffing over a jazz vamp. A versatile guitarist, Cooley entertains while creating soothing, well-arranged music." From Guitar
Player magazine Oct. 1988 |
| DAYDREAMS |
| "Another
oldie but goodie, Daydreams is a soulful group of
songs by Ron Cooley. Ron's style is hard to define,
but at times he sounds like early George Benson. Jackson
Berkey and Chip Davis of Mannheim Steamroller also
participate. The title cut is particularly enjoyable. It
is a lengthy number, with some interesting synthesizer
parts to compliment the guitar. Other favorites are
'Samba These Days' and 'Christine'.
Highly Recommended."
From X-Radio
Monthly |
| LIVIN' THE GOOD LIFE |
| "The range of musical styles on this
disc is perfectly balanced. Using acoustic and electric
guitars, along with an occasional saxophone or
synthesizer on the side, Ron Cooley is able to create a
truly enjoyable listening experience. Whether it's
the light, jazzy feeling of 'Livin' the Good
Life' or the soft, intimate sounds of
'Teardrops,' Ron Cooley's guitar work is
superb. No matter which song you pick, the delightful
melodies found on 'Livin' the Good Life'
will stay with you long after the CD has finished
playing. This is one disc that won't collect any
dust on your shelf."
From Synthesis
(chosen compact disc of the month, Dec. 1991) |
| RAINBOWS |
|
'Rainbows' is yet another of those
AMERICAN GRAMAPHONE discs; this time by guitarist Ron
Cooley and even better than his first one-and that
one ranked among the best technical achievements of the
year of its issue! Here is soaring, effortless,
pop-music-for-adults, with Chip Davis the consummate
percussionist who delivers tasteful, eyes-wide-open-for
maximum-effectiveness-drumming on everything he does.
What a hugely pleasant album this is: it might as well be
Fresh Aire 5, since they're mostly here: Berkey,
Hansen, Davis and the other Fresh Aire musicians and
their flute/recorder sounds, strings, piano and more. But
above all it's propelled by Cooley's consummate
guitar. It's superbly played and produced, and it
all goes by far too fast. All found this is an
exceptional digital recording, with not an extraneous
sound anywhere on or about the surface. One thing's
certain: you'll find this to be one of the
finest-made recordings in your library, so if it isn't
yet in your library, set about doing something about it
at once." From QM Entertainment by Jurgen Gothe |