Western country wonder, Latin rock swagger, and vocals that evocatively cut through the noise with unmistakable character and raspy, expressive depth. Billy Ray Norris proves a songwriter unconfined by genre, intent on telling stories, gifting melodies and grooves, across a plethora of different songs and styles.
Our introduction was the brilliantly unpredictable track Our Love Will Find A Way – a Latin shuffle and stomp of a rhythm, Santana-style guitar solos, a quirky and catchy hook, loving but gritty and impassioned.
It’s a huge earworm of a release, and Billy Ray Norris highlights the versatility and raw humanity of his distinct voice along the way – something that’s easy to spot now, even amidst the polar opposite style of song that is Did Forever Pass Away. Here the artist takes us on a much more intimate and moving journey, through quiet longing, piano and strained vocals; a protagonist desperate to connect or reconcile after a broken heart.
It’s an unignorable sound, and yet so minimal – only piano, voice and strings letting these words and this voice reach out with poignancy that captivates.
Billy Ray Norris has the voice, something real and different, and the songs thankfully follow suit. Absolutely an artist worth knowing of.
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