GHOST RIDERS, FORTUNE TELLER CD REVIEW ON ROCK N ROLL UNIVERSE

What do you get when you add a combination of journeymen rock players, ones who have played with The Outlaws, Pure Prairie League, Levon Helm, Jonathan Cain of Journey and Paul McCartney to name just a few? Raise your hand if you said "Journeyman rock". Well, in a sense you'd be right, but in a sense no. Because on their debut album 'Fortune Teller,' this collective of musicians who have chosen the moniker 'Ghost Riders', transcend the mundane to come up with an album that's sure to please fans of good old fashioned Dixie fried rock. Combining influences such as the guitar heroics of The Outlaws with a tinge of the songwriting influence of modern country rock, this is a band which will appeal to not only rockers but have a certainly possible crossover potential as well.

From the opening track "Gone South" a rollicking number reminiscent of Charlie Daniels' 70's work, you get a pretty good idea musically where this is headed, way south of the Mason/Dixon line, full of slide guitars and southern styled rock. In guitarist Steve Grisham, formerly of The Outlaws, they have a bona fide guitar star. Full of tasty licks and smokin' slide work, the guitarist impresses while never overplaying, which is a plus due to the over extended jams which are characteristic of the genre. He has the perfect foil in Jimmy Bennett, who combines with Grisham to make a potent guitar attack when necessary, all the time never stepping on each others' toes in the process. No where is this more evident than on the instrumental "Song For The Angels", which not only conjures up memories of Grisham's former band, but of the legendary Wishbone Ash as well, twin barrels burnin' throughout,without coming across as being too self indulgent. Add in some strong songwriting along with an inspired cover of The Outlaws' "There Goes Another Love Song" and you have a largely satisfying listening experience all the way through. All of the players, who also include bassist Phil Stokes (Pure Prairie League, Eric Moore of The Godz) drummer Pug Baker(The Knack, Jonathan Cain Band) and keyboardist Barry Rapp(Henry Paul Band, Paul McCartney's Wings) have the necessary skills, both instrumentally and composition wise, to make this work. And work it does, as there's nary a track here that isn't strong.

The bottom line here is, if you're a fan of The Outlaws, Charlie Daniels, The Marshall Tucker Band, or any other similarly styled artists, you're going to love this album. Crack open a few beers, raise up the Confederate flag and play this one loud and proud. Based on the evidence here, Charlie Daniels may just be right when he says "The South's gonna do it again". Especially if it's up to these competent hands. 4/5 http://www.ghostridersband.net/