Chris Ruggiero - I Am Chris Ruggiero
Chris Ruggiero is a twenty-two year old vocalist who brings something unique to the table in today’s age. In terms of his sound, Ruggiero throws us back to the golden days of Rock & Roll, capturing the best elements of 50’s, 60’s and 70’s rock with his own timeless tracks. Today we take a dive into Chris Ruggiero’s new twelve-track album, I Am Chris Ruggiero.
I Am Chris Ruggiero opens with “Run to Me”. This track is a re-imagining of the classic Bee Gees song and stands as a great choice to open the album as it really puts Chris Ruggiero’s own skills, taste and musical style on display in the way he performs this song. “Betcha by Golly Wow” follows and golly, what an excellent track to put second. This track is, of course, a cover of The Stylistics’ classic and I really enjoy both how soulful Ruggiero is in his version of the track and how effortlessly the album flows from “Run to Me” to this song. Picking up the tempo a bit is the third song, “My Cherie Amour”, Ruggiero’s take on the Stevie Wonder classic; this track has an addictive bounciness to it, making it one of my favorites from this album, and actually introduced me to the original Stevie Wonder version that I had not heard before. “Anyone Who Had a Heart” stands out as the darkest sounding song so far, giving us a glimpse into the range of emotions that Chris Ruggiero is able to display, capturing similar feelings to the original Dionne Warwick version while effortlessly putting his own spin on the track - and leaving a mark by doing so. These first four tracks give us a glimpse into Chris Ruggiero’s musical taste while also showing us just how much he understands classic radio songs; he is able to pick the elements that made these tracks great while also showcasing his own performing and recording skills.
Chris Ruggiero
The fifth track from I Am Chris Ruggiero is “California Dreamin’”, a fresh take on The Mamas & The Papas legendary song and a track that throws me back to my childhood of listening to the original with my mother. Ruggiero puts his own spin on this track, in some ways actually modernizing it, and I really felt this version of the song and enjoyed it immensely. “It’s Over”, a cover from another of my childhood favorites, Roy Orbison, is up next and kept my nostalgia trip going strong; Ruggiero really knows how to pick such beautiful songs to put his own twist on and makes sure he honors these classics with the way he performs them. “One”, Ruggiero’s version of the Harry Nilsson song follows and, again, Ruggiero is on-point with his performance and, though he shines in all of the other tracks on this album, Ruggiero really manages to make this one his own. I was left deeply impressed by his spin on “One” and I have a very strong appreciation for it. Picking up the tempo again at the eight slot is Ruggiero’s version of the Chris Montez classic, “The More I See You” and again Ruggiero takes me to class as I was unfamiliar with the original and, wow, what a special song! These middle four tracks continue the momentum provided by the first four and display how Chris Ruggiero is doing more than covering these songs; he is also curating them, picking tracks that thematically and sonically tie into each other in a meaningful way.
“And I Love Her / Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” is the ninth song on the album and perhaps the most unique. This track is a mashup of The Beatles classic “And I Love Her” and The Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”, two tracks that go incredibly well together and even take on new meaning when combined. Ruggiero next takes on Paul Anka’s “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” and effortlessly captures the essence of this track; Ruggiero has splendidly reimagined all of the tracks on the album so far but it feels like he was born to sing this song. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, a rearranged version of The Beach Boys’ song is up next and Ruggiero captures California beach vibes in a completely different way than the original with his version. The fact that he takes such a different approach with his version of the song but still captures similar vibes is something to behold. Closing out I Am Chris Ruggiero is “This Magic Moment”, the classic Drifters track and it is an absolutely beautiful reinvention of one of my favorite songs. Ruggiero’s choice to end the album with his version of this song was an absolutely perfect decision and I truly, truly enjoyed his take on this song.
Listening to Chris Ruggiero is a true throwback and I Am Chris Ruggiero is a powerful realization of his mission statement to bring the powerful sounds of days gone by to a contemporary audience. Ruggiero’s love and mastery of classic pop and rock music really shines through in I Am Chris Ruggiero and I really believe you will appreciate this album as much as I do - which is quite a lot. Keep up with Chris Ruggiero through his website, Facebook and Instagram. You can also become his Patron on Patreon for access to his livestreams, behind the scenes videos and much, much more. Be sure to check out I Am Chris Ruggiero which we have embedded below!
