ARTIST: Brian Ray
TITLE: Mondo Magneto
LABEL: Whooray Records
GENRE: Rock
TIME: 37:57 min
SIZE:  58,0 MB
RIP DATE: Mar-27-2006
RELEASE DATE: 000-00-2005
WEBSITE: n/a

Track List:

01. Good For Nothing                           03:21
02. Vinyl                                      03:35
03. Goin' Down Swingin'                        03:52
04. Soft Machine                               04:01
05. I Liked You Better                         03:18
06. All I Know                                 04:27
07. Coming Up Roses                            03:54
08. Sub Atomic                                 03:35
09. If You're Leaving Me                       03:45
10. Anywhere But Home                          04:09

Release Notes:

"MONDO MAGNETO" - A ROCK RECORD THAT POPS

When Brian Ray decided to record his first solo CD,
he didn't have to look far for a supporting cast.
The award winning songwriter for Smokey Robinson,
guitarist and musical director for Etta James, now
on tour as guitarist and bassist with Paul McCartney
simply asked some of his mentors and friends to help
him out.

When he asked the legendary blues singer Etta James
if she would sing with him on the CD her answer was
simple - and immediate - "I'll do anything for
Brian." Not surprising considering the bond the two
had developed over the years Brian had spent as her
musical director and guitarist. "She's family to me,
really," he explains. The rest of the players were a
few more of his best friends - Scott Shriner from
Weezer, Davey Faragher from Elvis Costello's band,
Abe Laboriel, Jr., Wix Wickens and Rusty Anderson
from Paul McCartney's band all appear on the album
with Brian. The collaborators? Oliver Lieber, Adam
Cohen, Tonio K.

The resulting album, Mondo Magneto, is filled with
fresh, stylish songs, lyrics and catchy melodies
that stay with you long after your first listening.
It's a pop record that rocks and a rock record with
pop radio sensibility. "What was really fun for me
about making this album," Brian explains, "was that
every person involved came into the studio and
brought their own personality to the sessions. And
that shows on the CD."

Mondo Magneto is available now on Whooray Records.

BIO

Brian Ray has spent his entire career performing,
writing and recording with a who's who of musical
artists. Now, finally, the
guitarist/songwriter/singer/producer is releasing
his first solo album, Mondo Magneto. The
multi-faceted, multi-talented musician has worked
either performing, writing or recording with an
impressive and diverse list of artists, from R&B
legend Etta James (with whom Brian toured and served
as musical director straight out of high school) to
penning Smokey Robinson's award winning "One
Heartbeat", to his current gig playing guitar, bass
and singing with Paul McCartney. Opportunities to
write and record with a myriad of successful artists
came easily to Brian, and one can find his resume in
the racks at any major record store in the world.
Add scoring for television and film to his long list
of collaborations both onstage and off, and it's
easy to understand how someone takes this long to
get around to writing, producing and recording his
first solo CD. "People have always asked me when I
was going to do my own thing," Brian laughs, "I
guess I was just busy."

On Mondo Magneto, the fresh, modern songwriting
blends perfectly with the more traditional, classic
rock, pop and R&B influences from Brian's years of
listening to and working with some of music's most
legendary artists. Finding the musicians to perform
with him on his own CD was easy - he called on his
friends Abe Laboriel, Jr., Wix Wickens and Rusty
Anderson, all from Paul McCartney's current band,
along with Weezer's Scott Shriner and Davey Faragher
from Elvis Costello's band. Etta James' special
guest appearance on the sexy "Soft Machine" adds
even more to the exceptional line-up that Brian
pulled together for this record.

Since Brian is known primarily as a guitar player,
one would expect his own album to rock hard, as it
does on songs like "Goin' Down Swingin'" [written
with Oliver Leiber, son of Jerry Leiber]. A great
songwriter such as Brian Ray is able to use his
songs to tell tales that the listener relates to,
and that is the case with all the tracks on this CD.
The opening track on Mondo Magneto, "Good For
Nothing", kicks the CD off with a fresh, smart
rocker with strong radio potential. Vocal harmonies
and an upbeat tempo put us in the mood to listen to
the rest of the songs on the album. Another, "I
Liked You Better" [written with Oliver and Adam
Cohen, son of Leonard], is a tongue in cheek foray
into those relationships we get into when we are
under the influence, and shows the harder rock edge
to Brian's music. "Vinyl" shows off his
story-telling talents in a modern rock setting, and
one feels they are listening to a biography of
someone who grew up in the rock era. The two
ballads, "All I Know" and "If You're Leaving Me",
reveal the inner life of a true artist.

On Mondo Magneto, Brian Ray offers up a contemporary
rock album built around his years of experience
playing and writing with some of the biggest names
in music. He has taken the lessons of a career and
put them into a debut album that only someone with
Brian's knowledge and talent would be able to do
their first time out.