Born in South Carolina and dwelling in New York, guitarist CLAY ROSS possesses the cosmopolitan nature implied by his dual citizenship on his third album Matuto. Equally devoted to Southern American music forms of folk, blues and bluegrass and the more exotic (to cracker ears) folk music of the Northern part of Brazil, Ross makes music that swirls samba and other Latin rhythms around while retaining a melodic essence intimately familiar to most Americans. While some of the songs veer towards kitsch (especially “What a Day” and “Dream of Life,” which sound like SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS outtakes), most of the tracks have the easy appeal one would expect from the source materials, from the swing of “Zydaco Mondo” and the dream of “Maria’s Lullaby” to the high energy of Blind Willie Johnson’s “John the Revelator” and the sing-along groove of Norman Blake’s “Church Street Blues.” Ross feels as at ease with one style as another, making the blend all the more organic. Matutuo is much more than cultural colonialism – it’s true world beat.
