A Different Shade
The music of Sunshine City Tree stands in contrast to a consumer-driven and rushed society. The CD melds Nick Drake-styled folk and singing slide-guitar runs like that of the Allman Brothers Band, while the vocals define what it means to express a soulful simplicity.

This is Jeff Ray's debut CD using nine different guitar tunings, a slide-guitar, Hammond organ, vocal harmonies, and a 'cello to create one of the most progressive new folk sounds by a young artist today. To capture the music's simplicity and soul, the CD was recorded using a 4-track analog recorder and NO digital effects.

Up Close and Real
The goal was to create a honest, 'bare-bones' acoustic album.  The result was a CD where people felt like they were actually sitting in the artist's bedroom holding the microphone.  Jeff Ray, a young and humble songwriter/guitarist, recorded the CD using a small 4-track analog recorder.  He explains, "I wanted to create something sincere, unforced, uncontrived, and real for a change."

Connected to the Roots
Like the CD's unassuming recording process, the songs are straightforward.  Sharing the same historic quality as the early recordings of artists like Nick Drake, Led Zeppelin, Bert Jansch, Mason Jennings, Jimi Hendrix, James Taylor, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkle, Cat Stevens, and Jeff Buckley (the list goes on, these are just a few artists that people have compared the CD to).  Jeff Ray explains, "I left the recording with a feeling of connectedness to that same creative energy that inspired so many of my musical heroes.  I hope this CD helps people reconnect to the same roots."

An Acoustic Vision
Showcasing influences from remarkable songwriters, Jeff Ray incorporates instrumental prowess and raw emotion using an acoustic guitar and a multitude of open-tunings.  This is a CD that a guitar aficionado would find very compelling..  Embedded throughout the recording, Jeff Ray plays a slide-guitar, paying homage to guitar greats like Muddy Waters and Duane Allman, to name a few.