Jason Riley – Funky Folk CD Mini Review

Posted by Jeff on January 19, 2011 at 2:27 pm

JASON RILEY “FUNKY FOLK”

Like a gritty metropolis that bellies up to a pristine shoreline, “Funky Folk” too is about disparate ideas working together in harmony. Jason Riley, an accomplished guitarist in a variety of disciplines, offers as his debut work for children a chill, futuristic calypso-jazz-bluegrass-instrumental folk album that defies convention.

Classic melodies (“Froggy Went A Courtin'”, “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”) receive hip, instrumental treatment and the results are surprising thrilling. Riley impresses with nimble musicianship that explores the familiarity of these standards while simultaneously revealing in the newness of his arrangements. When was the last time you were excited about hearing “Camptown Races”? Oh de doo-da day, Riley’s race takes place under the warm Caribbean sun, giving you the chance to enjoy again. I’m particularly fond of the Jimi Hendrix-at-naptime electric guitar in the final third of “Frere Jaques”, a French nursery favorite that receives a sort of Steve Reich process music embrace here.

“Funky Folk” is an audacious concept: layered, often complex instrumentals made accessible on the back of easily recognizable songs. This is a sweet little album meant to score many a Saturday afternoon toddler play date, the kind you don’t want dominated by frenzy.

This promo video should give you a decent enough feel for Riley’s entrance into family music:

*A copy of “Funky Folk” was provided to OWTK for review. The opinions expressed above are unbiased and true. No arm-twisting took place in the review process.