Ted West started his career in the entertainment industry as a stage actor, specializing in character work, with roles that varied from Pharaoh to Elvis. A few years back his then-girlfriend was pursuing a career as a recording artist and Ted found himself tagging along to many of the famed Los Angeles recording studios. Fate intervened one day after a producer asked Ted to sing A Capella. Suffice to say; his relationship didn’t pan out but he returned to the studio several months later to record his own songs at the behest of the producer.
Since then Ted has also gigged internationally – from Copenhagen to Barcelona and has been a regular performer at House of Blues on Sunset, and more importantly he releases the brand new 2015 album, entitled “True West” (Out 10-27-15). “I’m not really trying to sound commercially appealing” Ted notes. “My heart is really in the performance not the marketplace.”
The secret to the success of any album lies with the individual listener and the formula of the songs. Sometimes it is the hook, but mostly it’s the melody which brings a great deal to the listening experience of course. For others, its rhythm, and still for others the lyrics supplant both strong melody and rhythm. Then of course music is often and unfortunately, in some cases, judged on the first go round. So music has to have many great elements and then in most cases be catchy as well to capture the listener’s attention.
So what if you come across an artist that manages to capture all those qualities in one album? Sound like a rarity? Not so, because such is the case with “True West”. I was very much impressed with the diversity of this work, and I suggest several listens too, as Ted West is a little difficult to box into any one category. Sometimes he is a little Folk-Country as on “California”, or slow-rocking on “Mr Jimi”, then he jumps to the soul-influenced “On A Slow Train” and slides out on jazzy-lounge track like “Sweet Soul Survivor”. And that’s just the first few tracks.
Moving along you’ll discover that almost each and every song treads a different style and genre, making Ted West a consummate crossover artist. But he doesn’t just jump across styles and genres; he transcends sexes and age groups too! You could play a ted West song to your granny, just as much as you can play one to your nephew. He has a clean-cut sound that will appeal to all.
On “True West”, Ted moves from a more whittled down approach to a large sounding groove arrangements, sweetly played by truly competent musicians, and it is all countered by his typical melodic vocals. My personal favorites include the sublime “Twenty First Century Worried Life Blues”, “Set Free” and probably the best song on the album – “Bittersweet Descent”.
I think that veterans like myself, who have seen and heard the evolution of pop and rock music, have learned that what initially clicks will sometimes wear down, and often other works will grow with time, and that is true because we ever changing. The songs on “True West” seem to cater to both ends of the stick. I suggest a nice long car ride, the music turned up, and some quality time spent with this album in the sole company of Ted West.
OFFICIAL LINKS: SOUNDCLOUD – YOUTUBE – BANDCAMP
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