Growing up with his dad’s Big Band records, Ryan gravitated toward the blues and soon became a rock-solid harmonica player and a soulful singer. Inspired by his love of West Coast Blues, Ryan moved to Los Angeles in the late 90s where he learned the music first hand, frequently sitting in with Lynwood Slim, Junior Watson, Rick Holmstrom and Rod Piazza the Mighty Flyers.
After moving back to the East Coast in 2000, he quickly formed his powerful blues band, Ryan Hartt and the Blue Hearts. Led by Hartt’s moving vocals and superb harp work, they rocked the crowds at clubs and festivals far and wide, won continual regional awards and accolades, competed in the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge and became finalists in their 2006 “Best Self-Produced CD” competition.
Hartt has released three records with the Blue Hearts since 2002, on his own Far-Tone label. BE ABOUT IT is his first solo record, giving him the opportunity to record with his pick of the area’s top players, including: drummer Nick Toscano; bassists Jeffrey Berg and Mike Law; guitarists Nick Adams, Jad Tariq and Tom Ferraro; and piano player Brooks Milgate.
BE ABOUT IT is a tour-de-force for Ryan Hartt, who proves to be a fine songwriter, a soulful singer, and one hell of a harmonica player. Hartt wrote five of the 11 songs: “Breaking Even,” “Queen of Everything,” “Old Habits Die Hard,” “That’s Right, You’re Wrong,” and “Lonely Hour.” They are mostly in the vein of West Coast and Chicago Blues, memorable hooks with clever lyrics and solid performances. Other songs include Joe Houston’s “All Night Long,” the New Orleans stroll of Dave Bartholomew’s “Nothing Sweet As You,” Mel London’s “I Wonder Why,” and a couple of surprises — “Hawaiian War Chant,” a traditional Hawaiian melody that has been covered by Tommy Dorsey and Ella Fitzgerald, and the classic ballad, “You Belong To Me.”
Special mention needs to be made of Ryan Hartt’s harp playing. He achieves a full, sax-like tone on chromatic and diatonic harps, and the precision of his bends seems effortless. His tone and style, as well as his use of multiple harp “positions” (the use of different keyed harmonicas on a single song) recall the best of Rod Piazza, George Smith, Kim Wilson, William Clarke and more.
ALBUM TRACKS:
Breakin' EvenQueen Of EverythihngOld Habits Die HardAll Night LongNothing Sweet As YouI Wonder WhyHawaiian War ChantThat's Right, You're WrongLonely HourI Can't Stop Loving YouYou Belong To Me
THE SINGLE, "BREAKIN' EVEN!" ▼
And for harp players who need to know:
“Breaking Even” is third position on an F chromatic, switching to a diatonic C harp for the IV chord of the first chorus of the solo and back to an F chromatic for the second chorus. “Old Habits Die Hard” is a Zydeco riff played in first position, reminiscent of Rockin' Sidney and early Fabulous Thunderbirds, “All Night Long” is some powerful honking tongue-blocked first position diatonic, while “Nothing Sweet As You” uses tongue-blocked chords on the F chromatic, “Hawaiian War Chant” goes nimbly across the big C chromatic and the solo is played on a Bb chromatic, and “Lonely Hour” gets some beautiful vibrato on a C chromatic, then goes to G and C diatonic harps to hit second and third position riffs. The classic ballad “You Belong To Me” catches the mood and the full range of the melody with precise first position bends.
Ryan is playing through an Astatic JT30 mic into a tweed Fender Deluxe amp.
The Urban Dictionary defines “Be About It” as “a call to an elevated standard of professionalism and dedication.” Well-named allbum.
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