You, Me & Everyone is just so damn fantastic, I’m almost unsure as to what I want to say about it. Me, speechless? Okay, so that’s a total lie, so here goes.

Mr. James Rutledge is Pedro, and he just rips it up from his home in London, with the aid of an array of sampled instruments and a computer. The record is full of random sounds that sometimes feel accidental and erratic, but they work. They really work. He honestly had me at “Intro”, and I love every minute of his electronic-jazzy concoction that is surprising, fun and sometimes strange with its lack of apparent direction. The live and very band-like feel of the record makes it even more alluring and interesting, but then again, I’m pretty sure I find the whole thing alluring and interesting nonetheless. The tracks follow paths that are uncertain and chaotic, though they still feel right and marvelous as they come booming out – unexpected, yet so sure of themselves. What really excites and fascinates me is the fact that each time I listen to this record, I discover something new, almost as if it were my first time through it. It makes you feel like you’re opening a present over and over again, and each time you’re impressed with what you find inside the box (or in this instance, outside the box). After not making music for two years, this is quite the impressionable -- and I’m sure, not easily forgotten -- re-entrance into that world. What I’m very thankful for is the fact that I was able to snatch this one up just in time to include it in my year-end list, as it certainly makes the cut…and did I mention it made me shake my booty all around? Damn right it did. For that alone, this record deserves to make the cut. A quote on pedromusic.net states that James hopes people like the record. This is indeed a wish that has come true, at least in the Aldona household. Seeing as its full of surprise and chaos, chock-full of wonderful beats and random sounds, with a jazzy undertone that I clearly can identify with and very much enjoy – it all just makes me hope and dream that you, me and everyone can indeed enjoy this wonderfully wonderful installment courtesy of Pedro. Bravo.

Oh Pedro…  - Two Way Monologues