Ed Maly
Best Kept Secrets

Review By Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck
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  Ed Maly follows up Walking Shoes Blues (2006) with a strong return to form on Best Kept Secrets. Ed's signature guitar lines, distinctive blues soaked vocals, and humorous lighthearted lyrics once again demanded my attention and several spins just like the previous release. 

There is not anything new going on here in regards to style and approach but he somehow escapes the old adage of "familiarity breeds contempt" by keeping you smiling and your feet moving.

This time around, Ed decided to open the album up with some of the fan's favorite live cover cuts including "C.C. Rider", "Matilda", and "Barefootin.'" Ed is from Sugarland Texas and you can hear that good home cookin' down to earth Texas hospitality come through in his music.

I found a lot of pleasure in "Mr. Ed," a takeoff on the popular 60's sitcom about a talking horse. I also love the fact that this artist does not take himself too seriously, which is exactly why he is so relaxed and is able to jump into every song and sound natural. Being who you really are is so obvious when you write and play music. "Give Me Back My Rib" turns out to be (no pun intended) a real rib tickler when Ed takes the place of Adam for the duration of the song asking Eve (referred to as woman) to please return his rib. It is all for the fun of it and in the same instance you get a churnin' and burnin' blues-rocker. That always seems to be the result when Ed Maly cuts loose on one of his original compositions and I must say straight away the dude does a darn good job on the cover tunes as well.

This CD seems to go by real fast, which is usually the first indication of a good recording. If you are enjoying yourself with every track, it's bound to fly by. As they say, time flies when you are having fun and never does the shoe fit better than when you listen to Ed Maly.

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