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RAY DETONE
Guitar Noir
DanceTone Music

Ray DeTone is a man on a mission. Accomplished in a myriad of guitar-based genres, he has bundled them all together in Guitar Noir and lets the listener decide which they like best. Having cut his chops with ‘80s melodic rock band Drive, She Said DeTone spread his metallic wings in Paul Dianno’s Killers then switched over to backing Ronnie Specter and finally landed in the orchestra pit for Jesus Christ Superstar. Prog Rock is DeTone’s self declared favorite stating, “I love it because it doesn’t have the same emotion and texture throughout the entire piece.” Aside from his previous records Once More...With Feeling and Strange World the guitarist has recently immersed himself in studio and soundtrack work. The diversity has sharpened his playing with hooks ‘o plenty and an ever-broadening canvas. Beginning the disc with the atmospheric “Lights Down” he paints a gentle musical landscape before stretching out into the thundering “Sexy Heavy.” Picking out an acoustic intro in “Guitar Suicide,” the New York native then tackles an array of directions, each breathing excitement and vitality through his passionate playing. There is the easy-listening “Tequila Funk” and exotic “La Bomba Beauty” to the more aggressive “Funk You Too!” Late night jams pop up in “Jazzy Blues Bop” followed by an ode to progressive meanderings in the fuzzy “March of Grind.” Both “Dirty Sabbath and “Zak Label” bring metal to the mix, then it all shifts over to a refreshing splash of fun in the flamenco-styling of “Spanish Gypsy” and the dusty trails of “Spaghetti Score.”

Todd K. Smith - Editor

Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine

RAY DETONE - GUITAR NOIR  Dancetone Music, 2006
15 tracks, RT: 53:55

I've always enjoyed film soundtracks, not necessarily the hit songs
that movies often launch but more often the background music you hear
playing throughout the film. Suffice it to say that because movie
music must often reflect a variety of moods and atmospheres, any
composer of such soundtracks must be a master of diversity, able to
deliver exactly what is required for various scenes. Ray DeTone is a
New York based musician known for his work with such artists as Drive,
She Said and Paul Dianno's Killers, but on GUITAR NOIR he stretches
out his compositional skills to include rock, metal, blues, jazz,
flamenco, progressive, and Latin styles, creating an enjoyable mix of
instrumentals. Originally intended to be used for TV and films, Ray
selected 15 of his favorite pieces from the writing sessions and
included them on GUITAR NOIR. Songs like "Tequila Funk," "Jazzy Blues
Bop," "March Of Grind" and "Spanish Gypsy" clearly demonstrate why Ray
is a sought after composer, session player and producer. Ray keeps
things interesting not only by incorporating such variety but also by
including a healthy dose of melody in his compositions. The mix on
GUITAR NOIR is quite good, only the drum machine on several tracks
detracting somewhat from the instrumentation. Overall an engaging and
infectious album from someone I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more
from in the future.
- Review by: Neal Woodall


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