Album Review: Vibe

Christchurch musician and singer-writer Ryan Chin, goes under the name of Ryan Fisherman. He has just released his first album Vibe. The album is a stunning alt-country affair featuring over 20 musicians including Motte, Marlon Williams and Adam Hattaway.

Ryan is a multi-talented musician, who started out as a drummer, but diversified to learn other instruments to help with his music. Adding bass guitar, synth, lap steel and vocals to his repertoire Ryan has been a support to other musicians as well as working on his own projects.

I became quickly absorbed in this album from the get go, the subset tag of county-alt or alt-country is very fitting for Vibe. It has a clean modern country music sound which is wonderfully alternative and fresh. I fell in love with the sound Ryan has created from the start.

With a new found passion for modern country music artists and a penchant for Midland and Cowboy Junkies, I snapped up the opportunity to review this album as soon as I heard it. Not all country music is created equal; sometimes it can be darn right painful to listen to. This is definitely not the case here. Superb from track one through to ten.

All ten songs on Vibe have been written by Ryan Fisherman. The album art is a retro collage of family photos.

Starting with the first track Bailed, melancholic lyrics wind their way through each track. With a slow moving gentle amble, Bailed is perfect country music material, a break up song. Boy leaves girl. Ryan has a wonderfully clear deep voice that conveys warmth and depth easily. The appealing lyrics are honest.

Moving on to track two Observation and the pace picks up somewhat into a livelier number. Wonderful rich vocals infused with that country sound, guitars, banjo and violin creating a catchy rhythm.

This album just keeps getting better when track three, How Cool, incorporates piano and vocals by Indira Fare and synth bass and banjo by Josh Petrie. Each addition of musicians creates gorgeous layers of sound and lush textures.

Eloquent and soulful stories burst forth track after track. Tantalizing the listener with rich tones and divine profundity.

My personal preference and stand out track is Waiting For What. Desolate, stunning vocals from Anita Clark (violin) add to the eerily bewitching lyrics “Waiting, waiting for what. Waiting for something the one thing I forgot. And it’s pacing around in my mind. Anticipating a call down the line”. Accompanying Ryan Fisherman (Rhythm, Acoustic, Piano, Synth & Vocals) on this track are: Joseph McCallum (Drums & Percussion), Symon Palmer (Upright Bass) and Simon Gregory (Lead & Rhythm Guitars).

The success of this album owes as much to the production quality as it does to the song writing, performance and musicianship of this very successful mixed bag of songs.