Can you imagine Jeb Loy Nichols a la Twelve Caesars? Watch those clouds as the 'Kingdom Of Rain' is about to fall with Lee Ross!
With Ramrock Red reaching '100' with Andrew Pipe and Stephen Ennever (aka Twelve Caesars) and their 'Mission Creep' (see review HERE), production supremo Darren Morris gets classic poolside soulful on 'Kingdom Of Rain'.
We're told, Lee first met Darren Morris, North Street West studio owner and 1/3rd of No’West Productions, at a party in Hastings and after teaming up, they serenaded the guests at the piano. After their duetting, Lee told Darren that he was a singer/songwriter, whereupon Darren invited Lee to send him some demos. Lee duly sent Darren the rough demo of ‘Kingdom of Rain’ which was played to Jo Wallace at Ramrock Red Records who said, ‘this is rather fabulous – yes please’.
‘Kingdom of Rain’ draws upon the golden era of 70s West Coast blue eyed soul/drive time AOR, showcasing the magnificent production techniques of Darren Morris, with the collaboration nodding towards those supreme musical craftsmen, Ned Doheny, Kenny Loggins, Bill LaBounty and Rupert Holmes. With Lee’s vocal delivery and Darren’s production, there is a timeless quality to ‘Kingdom of Rain’ giving it the vibe that it could’ve been conceived at Warner Bros studios or Sunset Sound, LA. Lee has been a prolific songwriter and considers it his true passion, fronting bands from his teens through his twenties culminating in an offer of a five album deal with Eddie 'I'm a fan of Small Wonder Records' Piller at Acid Jazz with his band PROPAGANJA.
Unfortunately, the band split before they were signed but Lee continued to write. Delivering music for dance companies and, with Boo Hewerdine, producing an EP of his original material, Lee also wrote the wedding song for the marriage of his actor friend Andy Serkis to Lorraine Ashbourne. Alongside his musical career, Lee is an award winning actor who holds an honorary doctorate for his outstanding contribution to the acting profession. A mainstay on our stages, televisions and cinemas for over forty years, he is best known for the hit children’s TV show ‘Pressgang’, the Catherine Tate Show, Eastenders and more recently ‘White Gold’ and ‘Andor’. Lee has also appeared in over twenty feature films including the iconic character ‘Gumbo’, the cult classic ‘ID’, ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’, the Oscar winning ‘The English Patient’ and Palme D’or winner ‘Secrets and Lies’, directed by Mike Leigh. Currently, Lee is in a leading role in the MGM/BBC thriller ‘Legacy of Spies’ starring Mathew McFadyen.
Lee has a huge portfolio of new material which he and Darren are currently wtaorking on together - watch this space…
P.S. the instrumental is fantastic too!
P.P.S. Jeb Loy Nichol's latest album, 'This House Is Empty Without You' on Timmion Records - see review HERE
BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: RRR102 - Lee Ross 'Kingdom of Rain' EP | Lee Ross | Ramrock
Artist: Lee Ross
Title: Mission Creep
Release date: 31st July, 2026
Label : Ramrock Red Records
Catalog Number : RRR103
Format: Digital / Bandcamp
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