Rarely have a couple of singer-songwriters so perfectly complemented
each other's talents. With their self-titled debut album, Gregory John
Patzner and Sharlene Ayestaran bring to the party an 11-track package of
country music created together and individually, then performed as a team.
Ranging from shuffles and two-steps to ballads, with occasional
tropical accents, Rio Rocko does music that's heavy on melody with a capital M. There's less studio gimmickry than heard in many contemporary albums, so it's the music, singing, and instrumental work up front that must carry the payload. Rio Rocko does it handily, with tongue-in-cheek sass on numbers such as "Reincarnated Cowboy" and "Gecko Tango."
For outstanding, straight-ahead country steeped in traditional sounds, "Middle Of The Night" may be a sleeper as the duo's first single. It's loaded with melody and steel guitar and is making waves with plenty of airplay around the country.
Ken Rosenbaum, Toledo Blade/ Toledo, Ohio