August 14-20, 1997 - Vol. 7 No. 7

Eyes Wide Open
Murali Coryell

Murali Coryell isn't your typical 25-year-old singer/musician. As the son of Larry Coryell, one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion, he has received an unusual musical education. Much like Harry Conick, Jr. has accomplished with traditional jazz and more recently Maxwell has attempted to do with old school rhythm and blues, Coryell could become the poster boy for traditional soul of the blue-eyed variety and blues music with the debut release Eyes Wide Open.

Coryell's vocals take on the styles of several different legends of R&B and soul. On "Now is The Time" there are strains of Stevie Wonder and later Jacksons 5. "Coming Home," finds the singer resembling Sam Cooke, and on the title track, Coryell shows he's not afraid to chase down those Al Green-like falsetto notes. As an accomplished guitarist, Coryell adds a different element on songs like "Ice Cream Song," a tune that would make Eric Clapton raise his eyebrows, and the apparent ode to B.B. King on "Softly Let Me Kiss Your Lips."

It may not be the easiest CD to find and the cheap packaging may throw some potential listeners off, but Eyes Wide Open is a rare find. Don't expect anything groundbreaking here, just a young man looking to pay homage to the people who taught him everything he knows.

And you can check out his live show coming up next week, Sept. 23-24 at Steamroller Blues and BBQ, 18th St. & Boston Ave. C.B.