Spouting a peculiar blend of spoken-word poetry and American pop-music vocabularies, Fuzzy Doodah's Rich Ferguson has developed a performance style that is both intellectually challenging and emotionally direct. Although his free-associative patter often recalls the jazzy discourse of Beat heroes like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, Ferguson also brings a distinct musicality to his compositions. With lap steel guitarist Jeff Soto contributing a noirish ambiance through much of the proceedings, Ferguson rants and raves on outrageous/desperate scenarios like "Terry, Candy, Baby, and Me." Embracing the viewpoint of disenfranchised losers and overly passionate lovers, his virtuosic wordplay also contains a sharp comic perspective. While their conventional rock performances are certainly compelling, Fuzzy Doodah is most entertaining when Ferguson's confrontational babble is front and center. --Mitch Myers
