James Boyd Band CD review

This debut CD from Orlando’s James Boyd Band is an aural treat from first song to last. The band’s rocking pop music sticks with the listener long after the CD finishes playing.



It’s no surprise considering the abundance of songwriting talent involved in this project, alongside James Boyd, is Eric Fay, Greg Hejja (Berman), David Rankin (Downstem, DManufacture), and Gary Carolla (writer / producer Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Britney Spears, Aaron Carter), among others.



James Boyd and Gary Carolla teamed up for several songs awash in lush harmonies and multi-level vocals including “Wanna Be A Star,” “You’re My Everything,” and “Get Up.” The big harmonies in the chorus of “Without Love” give the song a gospel choir feel.



Boyd and Carolla were joined by Eric Fay in songwriting duties for the mellow, sentimental “Mid October” which features a mournful guitar flowing through the background. Carolla and Evan Comtois penned the campy “Centerfolds,” the CD’s first single complete with video. Greg Hejja and Carolla joined forces for the rhythmic up-tempo “Paint It Red.”



David Rankin’s “Endless Light,” “Something To Live For,” and “Save Me From Myself” are presented beautifully here. Rankin’s songs are musically heavy but lyrically tender and thoughtful.



The band also does a cover of the Kansas hit “Dust In The Wind,” but it’s unlike any other version heard before. It starts out with a slow, mournful violin like the original, and then kicks into high gear, certainly a song worth hearing.



What ties it all together is the stellar production of Carolla and the passionate vocals from James Boyd. He feels each lyric and pours them from his heart as if he wrote every word himself.



Quality is the perfect word to sum up this CD James Boyd Band – quality musicians, quality songs, and a quality production. It doesn’t get much better than this.