Ross Major: Farewell

William Ross Major Presents: Farewell (Dear Friends)

I was a bit disappointed with Ross Major (as Iamb)'s 2005 release, "I'll Stay Waiting". While it contained a few bona fide classics ("Petals Drift Away", "I Don't Care What Happens") The record was swarming with half baked OK Computer-isms and genre invocations that did not play to his strengths, while leaving some of the melodies and actual songs a bit weak. When I had given a cursory listen to that album, I had convinced myself that Major, while he delivered an inspired live performance, was not an especially strong album artist.

How wrong I was.

Come autumn 2008, Ross Major has delivered a relevant, meaningful collection of songs with the aptly named "Farewell", a home recorded album mostly made as a goodbye present for friends and family on his move to Santa Cruz. The album is succinct (eight songs), yet is also overflowing with quality. Mainly concerned here with personal themes of arrivals, departures, love, loss, and travel, Major has found himself maturing as a poet and songwriter.

One of my favorite things about "Farewell" is that, for most of the album, experimentation takes a backseat to pure songcraft, as shown in melodic acoustic gems like "Butterflies" and the twitchy, drama-laden "Broken Glass". Major explores a wide range of themes and influences to cite throughout, from banjo driven, Kerouacian storytelling ("The Sea in San Diego") to effortlessly gorgeous Ryan Adams/Neil Young throwbacks ("In Seattle, In Boise, In Albany, In Dallas".) No song is wasted and the album does not leave much to be desired, although if this kind of quality was expanded to a full-length release, it would seriously blow some minds. As it is, this really feels like a classic.

What's more, it feels like a solid album, rather than a mere collection of songs. The tracks flow together well and the whole work never feels overlong. It even feels like a personal present to me, from the handpainted cover to the large, Ross-sized thumb print on the back of the CD which I had to remove with Windex.

In conclusion, let me share my favorite line from the album, from the song "When The Plane Landed".

"And just before the plane landed, I swore I saw God, in your face, in your hair, in everything, everywhere. And I'm not scared to die, I'm not scared anymore."

Perfect.

www.myspace.com/rossmajormusic