Bo Ramsey - Fragile (2008)

Despite the title of his new album, Bo Ramsey’s guitar playing and songwriting are anything but fragile. Perhaps most widely recognized for his amazing guitar prowess on Lucinda William’s Grammy award-winning CD “Car Wheels On A Gravel Road,” as well as his work playing on and producing records for the preeminent singer/songwriter Greg Brown and rising star Pieta Brown. This is his first new album of all original music in ten years and somewhat ironically, his strongest work to date. The album, Bo’s eleventh in his 30-year career, features 11 new songs all written or co-written by Ramsey, and finds him firmly at the forefront of a resurging Iowan musical renaissance, tastefully supported by world-class, Midwest-based musicians.

“Fragile” was recorded in 2007 at Minstrel Studio in Iowa City, Iowa and mixed at Mastermix Studios in Minneapolis. The album was co-produced by critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Pieta Brown (who also plays piano and keyboards on the record) and features, among others, drummer Steve Hayes (Greg Brown, Jeffrey Foucault), bassist Jon Penner (Junior Brown, Sue Foley), keyboardist Ricky Peterson (Prince, John Mayer, Stevie Nicks), and Bo’s son Benson Ramsey (The Pines) on keyboards.