John Russo: Come On With Me

Indie artist John Russo brings a collection of eleven gentle folk-rockers to “Come On With Me.”

His gritty vocals, some pleasant harmonica and guitar work, and a bit of the topic matter give "Come On With Me" a nice old-school feel. The album contains a mix of straight up vertical worship tunes and others that personalize his message by relating it through various people: an old man, a young man, a girl who hides her face, or even the Apostle Peter. The dramatic ballad "Hearts Broken" stands out for its willingness to address the realities of the aging progress. Russo's vocals shine on this track, and cover the great lyric: "our desperation as we age, our fear is somehow mixed with rage."

The title track rocks slightly harder, and the background vocals add to its strong gospel feel, Russo's vocals standing out winningly. There's some nice guitar work throughout the project, several hot solos ("In God's Time" and "Shout Out Loud"), and the pretty picking on "Peter's Song," the luscious strings supporting Russo's gentle vocals beautifully. Will Sprawls' simmering keyboards glow from within the rock changes of "Put Your Faith in Him." The album closes powerfully with "Ready to Go Home," a quietly moving song commemorating 9/11, especially stirring considering that Russo is himself a New Yorker. All in all, a pleasant listening experience.