Don Ross - Upright & Locked Position [2012][EAC,log,cue FLA torrent

1. Upright and Locked Position (03:26)
2. Wall of Glass (Duet with Brooke Miller) (06:42)
3. Stop Driving, Start Playing (03:43)
4. Voyageur (03:49)
5. Cup of Pop (03:40)
6. New Aaron (05:46)
7. Run, Don't Walk (02:07)
8. Silversmith (05:37)

Don Ross returns with his 14th solo album. This time around he revisits some songs from his first three albums from 20+ years ago, along with some new originals. It’s always interesting to see how artists take on earlier works.


Right from the get-go the track that stood out for me was Wall of Glass, which Don has already recorded twice before (by my count). For this recording he’s joined by his wife Brooke Miller, and the result is a very lively and inspired rendition. Brooke’s vocal harmonies really add that something extra to the composition that helps take it to a new level.

Another track which I really liked was the solo version of Run, Don’t Walk. It was originally recorded as a full-band arrangement on the “Three Hands” album, but honestly, I like the new version much better.

The other two older tracks which Don revisits are New Aaron and Silversmith, and they’re both played pretty faithfully to how they were originally recorded. The biggest difference lies in the modern production (brighter and louder), which for me works better on New Aaron. For Silversmith I felt the original had a certain delicacy which is missing in the new version.

Of the new songs, the title-track is a catchy upbeat number which starts off the album in a great way.