Ross Falzone: Press

I heard "The True Story of Adam and Eve" today on WPKN from U of Bridgeport, CT. and was blown away. Got home and found it on itunes and just finished listening to the whole cd. Why is it I don't know who the hell you are

“It’s exactly releases like Radical Heart that made me get into this business 20 years ago and that keep me going ever since!” – Lord Litter, Radio Marabu and Cyberstormradio

“Stellar!” – Michelle Picardo, Freetime Magazine

“A discovery!” – Christian Labonne, Le Cri Du Coyote, France

“What you might hear from cats like Dave Alvin or The
Boss… classic American strains banded together and steeped in soul… politically charged and romantically optimistic but it’s the music’s truth that rings loudest
of all.” – Frank DeBlase, Rochester City Newspaper

THREE NEW REKKIDS – I got my ears on three new CDs this month. The first is by Ross Falzone, a Nashville songwriter/activist/guitarist/producer who’s last work, called Radical Heart, garnered rave reviews and expertly named the liberal sensibility of citizens disenchanted with our current government. His music is not strictly blues, but certainly is blues in lyrical content, and is bluesy old soul-rock in description. His new one, Life Here on Earth, is a mighty next step. Song titles alone convey the sincerity of the artist: "The Truth has God on its Side," "Some of us Die Hungry," "Hang In There," and "I’ve Got it All Figured Out." The latter has a chorus that must speak for many of us: "I’m a complex, simple-minded, brave, scared, undecided confident liberal conservative. I’m a semi-wholehearted, peace loving, gun toting, God-fearing atheist; and I’ve got it all figured out, except when I have my doubts." Wish I’d written that. Sure gets a rueful laugh here at Nashville Music Guide Blues Central. Certainly Falzone’s work has been compared with the best sounds of Springsteen or Dylan. It’s a fair comparison. Ross’ musicians include a number of local heavies, including Gary Tallent of the E Street Band and Jimmy Nalls of Sea Level. This is a work of intense, angry art; with enough gritty delivery to convince the novice rock fan to get involved and do something. Go to rossfalzone.com.

Radical Heart CD
“Excellent, unique and inspiring CD… I live for songs with such a message!” – Eddie Russell, WCNET

Neo-Protest
Music Revival
By N. Jimi Bruce
Eclectic is the first word that came to mind as I finished listening to “Radical Heart” the new CD from ROSS. ROSS is not a group; he is almost a one man band with deep musical roots.
With songs reminiscent of Muscle Shoals or Memphis Horns, Dylan, Petty, and soulful rock, ROSS’ rebellion and conscious music thankfully blends styles few have been brave enough to produce on one CD until the Iraq War started. “It’s a tribute to my heroes/when a song lent itself to a certain genre, I tried not to hide those feelings…” he says.
ROSS (Falzone) has gone from being a Firefighter in Rochester (upstate) New York, to his current Nashville, Tennessee log cabin. He is a musical trailblazer like Daniel Boone in a time where music must once again seize the time and bring forth the anti message on war mongering, and greed at the highest levels of our society. Coming out of musical retirement, ROSS taps into his thirty year history in the business to bring forth the message of support for those who will speak out against the system even if it is unpopular. Those are my heroes. I tried to be courageous on this”, he said.
“Radical Heart will stimulate your consciousness while it evokes comparisons because ROSS does the music so good! Ross, a cool soft-spoken man says about his work, “It’s one of those blessings that kind of took on a life of its own...” The title track takes you on a Fleetwood Mac-type journey with a feel I can easily imagine Stevie Nicks on. “It brings me back to my days at Village Recorder where Fleetwood Mac [made] their hit record. I’m surprised at how time waits too…” Don’t be fooled by the title of cut seven, “Second Hand Smoke”. At first I thought it was yet another assault on smoker’s rights, but it is “a message about how we pass information around so lightly without regard for whether or not it’s the truth”, says ROSS lightheartedly.
The innovative song titles continue with “The Crapitalist” (coining a phrase?) which features a hip-hop style monologue in the middle of it from spoken-wordist Ami Mattison who originally wrote it just as a poem. It features a fantastically mocking lyric, “bow down to your massa, bow down like a twenty dolla whore…” Just this track is worth the price as it highlights our society’s oft sad slavery to the buck.
She also contributes on cut two, “Ain’t It a Shame” which he describes as a song about the “sin of complacency”, and a soulful tribute to Sam and Dave. There really is something for everybody on this CD. It even has a happy country tune finale in “Father to Son, Man to Man”.
ROSS also has benefited lyrically from the best of collaborations, his wife Kelly, is a published poet! “It has helped immensely with this effort.”
ROSS speaks of blessings and angels often. His message is positive and he underlines that fact on the track entitled “Call My Name”, which he describes as “closest to a Gospel song as I have on this album; a positive twist…” It also features George Marinelli who is Bonnie Raitt’s band leader.
Ross is a musician of all trades. He is a man with a radical heart that beats strongly in his music. Ross will be performing in Nashville, TN and Rochester, NY in late October. Following that, you may hear them on a college campus near you. For purchase information, go to www.poetpeople.net ; proceeds to benefit the Oasis Center for teenage youth, www.oasiscenter.org .
Ross left me with these words, “all you poets out there keep writing!”
Right-on.