Chris Thompson of Coral Creek | The Road Ahead Album Review

by Kyle Mathes on September 24, 2010 in Album Reviews

Tweet

CHRIS TOMPSON OF CORAL CREEK THE ROAD AHEAD
coralcreek.net

Releasing his third album is Chris Thompson of the front range Colorado band, Coral Creek. “The Road Ahead” was produced by Bill Nershi at Sleeping Giant Studios and has a talented group of musicians that appear on the album including; Keith Moseley, Tyler Grant, Andy Thorn, Christian Teele, Joe Lessard, Adam Kinghorn, Jordan Ramsey, Charlie Provenza, James Thomas, Ayo Awosika, David Reid, and Susannah Thompson.

Chris Thompson describes his music as acoustic fusion, bringing aspects of bluegrass, country, rock, and reggae genres together in a perfected mix. The first song on “The Road Ahead” is the upbeat and foot-stomping song Traffic. With solid guitar coming from both Chris Thompson and Tyler Grant this song sets up the rest of the record perfectly.

The longest track on the album, Gore Massacre, focuses on heavy guitar playing with the energy provided by Thompson’s spirited storytelling ability. A blues infused saxophone brings thoughts and comparisons to a Bruce Hornsby performance. This dark but uplifting tune is the essence of Colorado Bluegrass with heavy jamming and a great story to tell.

In One Eyed Jack, Andy Thorn gets a chance to shine while picking on his banjo. This fun, traditional sounding country tune brings the fun to you. With lyrics that you’re sure to pick up, you’ll be singing along to this one after your first listen. Amazing guitar and banjo licks bring this full circle while you still have a smile on your face.

Thompson’s past experiences of island living show up frequently on this album as well. In Slip Away and Island Bluegrass you get a simple and satisfying taste of reggae infused music while maintaining Thompson’s country/bluegrass roots.

The title track, The Road Ahead, closes that album and is a tune that makes you feel like your driving one of Colorado’s canyons. An energetic guitar, great optimistic lyrics, rolling drums, and a fun banjo make this song one of the best on the album. As the song lyrics go, “As the winds of change come knocking at your door…” you can’t help but feel a little momentum building as Chris Thompson’s new album “The Road Ahead” brings heartfelt and sonically pleasing music to your ears, you may just have to check this album and Coral Creek out for yourself.

Tags: Adam Kinghorn, Andy Thorn, Ayo Awosika, banjo licks, Bruce Hornsby performance, Charlie Provenza, Chris Thompson of Coral Creek, Chris Thompson of Coral Creek The Road Ahead Album Review, Christian Teele, David Reid, Gore Massacre, James Thomas, Joe Lessard, Jordan Ramsey, Keith Moseley, Kyle Kathes, Living on Vacation, Mountain Weekly News Album Reviews, Mountain Weekly News Music, produced by Bill Nershi Sleeping Giant Studios, Slip Away, Steel River, Susannah Thompson, The Road Ahead, The Road Ahead Album Review, Traffic, Tyler Grant Print article