By: William Clark
Determined to help revive that classic 70’s rock and roll style and sound, guitarist Ricky Byrd is identifying himself as a powerful musical presence with his debut solo album, Lifer.
Best known for his work as the riffmaster and captivating soloist behind Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Ricky took an authoritative role behind shaping such now classic staples as “I Love Rock and Roll” and “I Hate Myself For Loving You”.
After over a decade of touring the world and playing these classic songs, Ricky soon began to crave a change in his musical lifestyle, and decided to step out as a solo artist and take on a completely different style of music.
Coming off the success of his last solo record, Broken Is A Place, Ricky is back with his debut studio album, titled Lifer. The entire album features an easy-on-the-ears rock sound, which at times bears some similarities to The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and at others an early Stones vibe, while always filled with captivating guitar licks and complementary brass playing.
We get a strengthy first taste of the new album with “Rock ‘n’ Roll Boys”, which starts off with the sound like the static feedback you get when you first plug your guitar into an amp.
The album then shifts into a moderately fast paced early rock sounding tune that pays tribute to a number of top charters from the early ’70s, such as “Sweet Jane” by The Velvet Underground and “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan.
From there, the fast paced rockers only keep on coming, with such standout tracks as “Let’s Get Gone”, which boasts some pitch perfect harmonies similar to that of Bill Haley & The Comets; the jazzy “Married Man” about a love affair; and the memorable ballad “Turnstile ‘01”.
The entire album maintains a strengthy classic rock vibe, which allows track after track to transition perfectly, and you never even think about hitting the “skip” button.
Overall, Lifer is a standout follow up for rock guitarist Ricky Byrd, which despite taking on a different genre of music than fans may be generally accustomed to, is an absolutely solid release.
It comes highly recommended to those established fans of his earlier work, as well as any fan of classic rock in general.
Format: Audio CD
Original Release Date: February 5th, 2013
Label: Kayos Records
Tracks:
1) Rock ‘n’ Roll Boys
2) Let’s Get Gone
3) Foolish Kind
4) Ways Of A Woman
5) Wide Open
6) Dream Big
7) Harlem Rose
8) One Less Love
9) Married Man
10) Things To Learn
11) Turnstile ‘01
