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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Rickity

Greatest Hits Volume I

Review by Gary Hill

This is an unusual disc. It’s also a compelling one. With that title, you might think you’ve missed a long career from this band. Well, you haven’t. This is actually the very first album. The main man behind this is Randy Pratt – known for his work in everything from The Lizards to Star People. In some ways, the theatrical oddities of that second group show through in this outfit. There is a lot of progressive rock here. But, there is also plenty of hard rock, soul, blues, metal and more here. The whole dual lead singer (male and female) approach works really well. This album might not be familiar or something you’ll find to have an extremely short learning curve. There are, however, enough familiar elements to get you into the mix. Once there, you’ll find it is something that grows with every spin.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2014  Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
Out of Bounds

A killer metal meets blues jam ensues here. This is a powerhouse tune. It’s raw and fun. There is a cool scat singing based section mid-track that leans this toward progressive rock.

Heroin
A mellower, more melodic rocker, this has more of a 1950s pop ballad feeling to it. As this grows out there are more classic rock sounds that take over. It, too, has some progressive rock elements. The guitar solo is particularly tasty.
She's the One
Hard rocking, almost metallic, this one really lands pretty much in a heavy progressive rock vein. It’s complex and has some crazy things within it. It is theatrical and complex.
Maverick Lover
This hard rockier has a lot of funk and some metal in the mix. It’s also got an arrangement that’s just complex enough and unique enough to land it in the progressive rock territory. There are some awesome soulful vocals in a bridge mid-track. We also get some smoking hot instrumental work after that section.
Doin' It for Cash
Bluesy elements with a raw hard-edged sound are the basis here. There is a lot of a roots music element here. As you might guess from the title, the subject matter here is mature.
Brand New Man
Another hard rocking tune, nothing is drastically changed here, but this rocks. It’s another strong song on a disc with no weak ones.     
Electric Kiss

There is a bit of a progressive rock edge to this hard rocker. It’s a cool tune with some smoking hot meaty guitar soloing.

Sizzle
Here’s another with a lot of sexual tension and content. It’s a theatrical rock and roller.  
Black Limousine
This one is definitely a progressive rock number. It has a lot of space music in the mix. I love the mix of male and female vocals. This has a lot of psychedlia and jam rock sound built into it. It’s such a great tune.
 
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