Ricky Ross – Short Stories Volume One

Description

Short Stories Vol. 1 is a solo album by the British singer and songwriter Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue fame, released on Ear Music in 2017, a project of Edel. Piano and vocals recorded by Christoph Stepan at Chameleon Studios in Hamburg, Germany; with Ricky Ross and Tom O’Rourke producing. Strings and choir recorded by Paul Savage at Chem 19 in Blantyre, Scotland. Mixed by Savage. All songs written by Ricky Ross except track 3 co-written with Amy Foster and track 6 written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Featuring new recordings of the Deacon Blue classics “Raintown” and “Wages Day”.

I was a Deacon Blue fan before anyone else I knew. Until «Dignity» was re-mixed and re-released no one was paying attention. I was near obsessed. I heard they were on a Television show one Sunday on Channel 4. I recorded it. It is probably still in the attic!

On this show Ricky and Lorraine were being interviewed sitting at a piano. At one stage Ricky explained how he wrote the songs and they did a stripped back version of «Ragman». It was beautiful. I was entranced. When they released a similar version of «Raintown» as a B-side of the aforementioned re-mixed Dignity I lapped it up. Over the next few years we got piano versions of «Wages Day» and «Circus Lights». I craved more.

Thirty years later and I have my album. Twelve songs with Ricky Ross at his piano, with minimal embellishments from a few cellos and other strings. It is all done in the template of a Ricky Ross solo concert. There are a few Deacon Blue hits scattered throughout and even «The Germans Are Out Today» from Ross’s very first album release, So Long Ago. Carole King’s «Goin’ Back» gets taken out of its 1990’s Deacon Blue incarnation as well.

Around the better known songs Ross adds in the new ones. «At My Weakest Point» and «Only God and Dogs» particularly resonate with me but there might be more blogs about those. Without the band arrangements there is an extra emotional and spiritual intensity. Ricky’s uncluttered voice brings a beautiful mettle of melancholy to songs about loss, injustice and human brokenness with his usual sprinkled grace notes of hope and love.

Gorgeous! [Steve Stockman, Soul Surmise, 22/09/2017]

> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/short-stories-vol-1/1260813743)

CD tracklist:

01. I Thought I Saw You
02. Raintown
03. I’m Supposed To Love You
04. At My Weakest Point
05. The Kid At The Airport
06. Goin’ Back
07. A Gordon For Me
08. The Germans Are Out Today
09. I Was Right And You Were Wrong
10. Only God And Dogs
11. Siggi The Bully
12. Wages Day

Note: Released on both CD and 12-inch vinyl LP by Cooking Vinyl Limited.

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