Hailing from Georgia, Charles Ashley Moore claims to have created his own genre of music which he calls 'Dirt Road Rock', although I'm not sure where the rock comes into it or indeed where this dirt road is supposed to be. On opening the package in front of me and sliding the CD out of its slip-cover this Bluesbunny is pleasantly surprised to find a CD label which looks like a good old fashioned Vinyl LP, complete with faux grooves - a nice touch, and a sign that the artist actually cares about what he's doing!

The first thing that grabs at the ol' Bunny ears is Charles' voice, all at once it's rough and whiskey soaked and yet has indefinable sweet qualities that are accentuated by the clear and well balanced tone of the acoustic guitar. No slouch at the guitar either, Charles even manages to drop solos into a handful of the tunes; no mean feat when there are no other instruments on the track.

The songs themselves would be great chill out music for a relaxing summer afternoon, with the breathy harmonica and a laid-back descending chord sequence of "Blind Me" reminding me of lying back on a boat floating down that lazy river. "Live Your Dream" has a great lyrical chorus matching perfectly the bouncing rhythm of the finger picked guitar. "Freedom Is a God Given Right" embraces Charles' soulful side with a beautiful call and response between the multitracked vocals in the chorus. The downside to the CD is its lack of variety. As well presented as the music is, and not forgetting Charles' amazing sandpaper and chocolate voice, the one voice/one guitar formula wears thin over the course of the album. Although the songs are memorable and well written enough in themselves, the lack of peaks and troughs makes the CD, as a whole, a bit repetitive.

Those objections aside, this CD is one of the better albums to be placed in my CD player. You should check it out if you like your acoustic music chilled out and on a jazz/soul trip.

Bluesbunny from Montgomery - The Bluesbunny (Oct 2, 2007)

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Moore is your traditional singer/songwriter musician with humble instrumentation and honest lyrics. Album opener "Sunflower" is a swaying pop-jazz song that leaves space between chords for Moore's warm, John Mayer-like voice. He also owns a subtle southern twang that surfaces on nearly every track but perhaps most poignantly in "Blue, Blue Bridge."

Moore avoids studio tricks, playing some intricate licks and fills between his chords that could easily have been overdubbed on top of a rhythm track but instead are left alone, unadorned and strong and carrying the song. Even when guitar soloing, Moore opts to leave his one acoustic as the only instrument on the track. This stripped down aesthetic renders some perhaps typical pop-acoustic songs into interestingly vulnerable pieces of music. Moore calls this approach "Dirt Road Rock." The imagery of this expression comes through most glaringly in "The Plow," "Walking Tall" and "Live Your Dream," where the romance and spookiness of a rambling lifestyle shimmer within the lonely echo of that guitar. "The Plow" is a slow and sexy, Southern folk track that grooves over snappy acoustic licks and is highlighted by Moore's unafraid, sometimes cracking vocal performance. This track is Moore at his best, a catchy acoustic song that doesn't give over to a radio friendly sound while still having undeniably listenable elements.

"Modern Slavery" offers highly pensive and delicate lyrics that demonstrate why a long, careful evolution from notebook doodling to album recording. Not every song on the album is entirely authentic but the success of songs like "The Plow" and "Live Your Dream" show great potential for a sophomore effort. Keep walking that dirt road, Charley.
Brian Gilton - Southeast Performer (Nov 1, 2007)