By Jennie Brooks
For The Salisbury Post
Friday afternoon is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate the end of a long week at work than with music?
This is the time to unwind or groove along to a CD that will set the tone for your days off. And just as music can add a lot to a movie, so does Tripp Edwards’ “Friday Night Picture Show” for the weekend.
Red Phone Records released the album in 2006, but a good groove is timeless.
Tripp Edwards, whose vocal style might remind you of Tom Petty at times, wrote all the songs and co-produced the album with Alan Wyrick.
Wyrick should be commended for the many talents he lent to this recording, which include recording, engineering, mixing, as well as performing on the electric guitar and keyboards. The acoustic and electric guitars are accented well by Darryl Jones’ soulful playing on the pedal steel guitar that really brings out the Southern flavor in Edwards’ sound.
The smooth bass lines from Dan Hazard and Domenic Sabol backed with Jim Martin’s solid drum playing make the ensemble’s groove that more solid. There’s a warm, analog feel to this recording that reminds me of the songs I grew up listening to in the ’70s and it’s been great to have that live music vibe playing through my mp3 player.
Being the seasoned live performer that he is, Edwards knows just the right order to put the album’s songs in, as if composing the perfect set list for a performance at your favorite weekend hang-out.
The 10-song album packs a lot of talent into 35 minutes, so it was tough narrowing down my “High Five” from Friday Night Picture Show:
* “High” ó This is the song that really stood out for me as being a hit single of the album and features Edwards’ witty lyric writing.
* “Friday Night Picture Show” ó Listen to the phrasing and tone of Edwards’ lead vocals on this track because this is when I started comparing him to Tom Petty.
* “Beautiful Soul” ó Sure to get your head bobbing and foot tapping from the start, this one should also get some really good radio play.
* “Gone Again” ó Really brings that late ’60s-early ’70s vibe back, thanks to the B3 organ and far out guitar effects. Groovy!
* “Don’t Mean a Thing” ó Turn the lights down low and check out that pedal steel guitar solo which really spotlights Darryl Jones’ talent for enhancing the mood of this last dance ballad.
Whether you’re “Going to Texas” or shedding “Cocaine Tears,” Friday Night Picture Show has a song to capture the soundtrack of your weekend.

Musician Jennie Brooks performs and teaches in and around Salisbury. Contact her at jrbrooks74@mac.com.