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TOMMY RAY! / Press

“Tommy Ray’s solo LP is the long-awaited follow up and will not disappoint fans, as it keeps the gritty punk energy and layered guitar riffs with an even harder edge.”

"Long-awaited" is a phrase that often turns up in my reviews. But I don't think it's ever been more suitable than it is today. The Cry! released two of the greatest albums of the last decade in 2011 and 2014, and we've been waiting for a follow-up ever since. The long awaited First Hits Free by Tommy Ray! is not quite a Cry! record. But it is a solo album from The Cry!'s lead singer and primary songwriter. Many of these songs were written for The Cry! but ultimately not chosen for the band's third album (which will likely be completed this year...fingers crossed!). This album is a little "less produced" compared to The Cry!, but Ray's songwriting has never been stronger. He wrote most of this material himself, with assistance in spots from John Nelsen and Brian Crace.

“‘First Hits Free’ is a collection of Tommy Ray songs that follow the same retro, low-slung power pop route of his day job for sure. If you dig the raw and emotional pop punk delivered by the likes of The Speedways and Cyanide Pills on this side of the pond, then watch out boys, as this Portland, Oregon based songwriter has the minerals to mix up the sounds of The Heartbreakers (Thunders, not Petty)!"”

“The Cry have the hair, appeal, and songs to match their power pop and glam ancestors and the ghosts of Marc Bolan and the New York Dolls can rest assured that the style of music they helped to create is being properly handled by this rowdy group of Portlanders.”

“From the glam-slamming opener Discotheque to the hand-clapping teenage angst anthem Nowhere To Go, to the sugary-sweet power(pop) ballad Same Old Story, Dangerous Game is a non-stop joyride of everything you’ve ever loved about music. It’s got girls on roller skates, it’s got puking in alleys, it’s got ruffled shirts, Johnny Thunders, American cars, Creem magazine, cigarettes and T.Rex. It’s the best album Hanoi Rocks never made. Holy fuckin’ rock’n’roll. (9/10)”

“The CRY have both crucial aspects of power pop: Style and substance. Their songs have all the hooks the EXPLODING HEARTS and GENERATION X, with impressive instrumental flourishes as well.”

“First of all, the album I listened to the most and has become indispensable to me. Released in 2011 in Japan and marketed to the world in 2012 . Four kids from Portland, who recorded the highest album Powerpop the last ten years, no more, no less. MASTERPIECE ...”

"BEST OF RETRO GARAGE ROCK.... ENJOY THIS GEM!"