Zip Ribbon - 4/5 Dynaflow - 3/5 Friedrider - 2.5/5 Carhop - 2.5/5 I much prefer to play the album in full rather listen to individual tracks, with the exception of the couple of vocal numbers. Zip Ribbon is a strong opener but the next three don't do much for me.
Carhop kind of gets on my nerves when it goes into that herky-jerky... verse? Who knows. This is one I definitely prefer to just kind of forget to pay attention to in the context of the full album. 2.5/5
Carhop This is difficult to evaluate due to the sound quality of the clip. I agree with what has been said. There are some good musical ideas, but it doesn't really get anywhere. Unlike the previous track I don't really imagine this one having a vocal line. It is what it is, and while the piano is well played, for example, there needs to be more. 2.8/5
"Carhop" - I agree with the others in that it gets a little repetitive and the synth horns don't help. Maybe my least favorite tune on side 1 (tracks 1-6) 3/5
“Carhop” is heavy on the synths again... But I don’t dislike that here. There’s nothing terribly interesting, let alone innovative, about this. Just a fun little rollicking number. Still don’t understand the point of any of this, but I like it just the same. Taking it one track a time for now, but I suspect the whole may be greater than the sum of its parts. We’ll see if that’s true once we get to the back half. 3/5.
Today's song is Boomcar: Another song that is not top-tier Nez, and again the dated production and instrumentation doesn't help. This is at least quite good fun and feels like Mike tapping into his frivolous side. The lyrics come across as a little half-finished and throwaway, but they bring a smile. Mike's voice is a little frayed here and there. 3/5.
Ah, Boomcar. I remember the excitement when Rays was announced. I remember asking Videoranch one key question: is there any pedal steel guitar on it? The reply still amuses me: “Wait until you hear Boomcar blasting out of the clubs”. When it came out I asked a friend’s son who was very much into the London dance club scene about it. He just smiled and said it sounds like his dad trying too hard. Well, I quite like it (and I don’t do dance clubs) so.... Boomcar - 3/5
Boomcar is one of my favorites on the CD. I like the groove and especially like the refrain part. I can see why someone would say something about it being played in clubs although until I read DaveJ, I never really had thought about it that way. Maybe I was too old then and definitely too old now for that. Kind of like Cruisin with a faster tempo. This is a 4.
Boomcar - This is another song that has a Santana/Latin groove to it. I love the way the music builds during the middle parts, Nez and the band sound like they’re having fun with this one. 5/5.
Boomcar 3/5 Not a big fan of this tune but it's not horrible or u listenable. I don't skip it. It was excluded on 'Symphony of Rays', which I listen to more often than 'Rays'.
"Boomcar" I like quite a bit, the heavier beat and some nice keyboard sections make it an album favorite. 4.5/5 I had a pipedream a few years ago where I imagined the M.M.P. version of the Monkees were playing some summer festivals as the "heritage" act and for the encore at Bonnaroo brought Run-D.M.C. out for a "Boomcar" / "Mary Mary" collaboration. It, of course, brought the house down. Pretty strange huh?
Carhop - 2.5/5 This is just OK, maybe a bit too long. It really does not hold my attention much. Boomcar - 3/5 An added plus to this one is a Nez vocal. I have to be in the right mood to really dig this track, which is what I would say about a third of this album.
This kind of sounds like it could be on Stranger Things Have Happened. Mike's voice sounds pretty good in places and I like the rhythm but there's just way too much going on here for what really isn't much of a song at all - all frosting, no cupcake. I know it'll be rounded down but I just can't give this a 3. 2.5/5
“Boomcar”... A little Santana (Minus the guitar heroics) meets War meets... Yeah, I really dunno. It’s not bad, but it’s also my least favorite track from Rays thus far. FWIW, I can’t imagine hearing this in a dance club (Not that you’ll ever find me at one, so... ). The idea of someone’s dad trying a bit too hard to make a dance hit seems closer to the mark. So there’s a car/driving theme to this album. Got it. But beyond that I’m not sure what Nez was going for. It’s a fun little album so far. Not much more than that, but for a (then) 62 year old country rocker it’s kinda ambitious. Juan’s right. 2.5/5.
Boomcar The rhythm is immediately interesting, and the organ solo is good. But, like others, I don't hear enough of an actual song here. Nez's vocal is fine. 3.1/5
Today's song is Best of It (it starts at around 3:45): If this is Best of It, then what does Worst of It sound like??? I think Mike played all of the instruments on this, but he might have used his time better by focusing on the songwriting. A dull and repetitive instrumental which could be the least worthwhile piece on the album. It sounds completely out of step with the period it was released and feels like Mike trying too hard to be something that he wasn't. 1.5/5.
Best of It I really like the rhythm guitar. Simple but effective. But, I'm then left waiting for the track to begin, and it doesn't. 2.5/5
Best Of It - A little Electronica with a bit of guitar thrown in. Would have fit into a small scene on a movie soundtrack. 3/5.
