This review is by our guest bloggers Nadine and Josh from RickAstleyNews. They were one of the few recipients of an “advance” copy of the new Rick Astley album titled “My Red Book” (slated for release in 2013). New Rick Astley is a reason for excitement and Nadine and Josh tell us exactly why via this review.
When you saw the title of this review for a new Rick Astley album, was your first thought of the guy in the RickRolling video, the singer with the red quiff and raincoat?
Yes you know Rickâs a singer, but do you know Rickâs also a songwriter, musician and producer? Well Rickâs latest album, My Red Book, is going to prove all those talents to you. It has been 11 years since Rickâs last original material release (with âKeep It Turned Onâ â âPortraitâ in 2005 was all covers). Is âMy Red Bookâ worth the wait? We think so.
Rick not only wrote, produced and independently released âMy Red Bookâ, but he also plays guitar and drums on most tracks. Not very Stock, Aitken, Waterman-sounding, is it? More Adele or Coldplay actually, in our opinion â which may come as a surprise to some of you who havenât heard much of Rick in recent years. Gone is the synthesized pop production, replaced instead by a much more personal, mature and âlive band experienceâ sound.
âMy Red Bookâ is one of those albums that translates very well to being performed live, as highlighted on Rickâs recent UK tour where the special limited CD edition of âMy Red Bookâ was available (and where TeamRick got our personalized autographed copies!)
Full of romantic lyrics & big sounds, the worldwide general public release in digital and CD formats, will be in January 2013.
Here is a detailed review of each track on the album:
Superman
The first single release (Available for Download)
Superman is upbeat & catchy, with quirky memorable lyrics, and sounds great on radio. Will you recognize it as Rick? Probably not initially, but that is a great positive â Rickâs long-awaited âreturnâ needs to be a different sound to the synthesized 80s pop sound he is still associated with.
This song contains the line that gives this album its name.
I Like The Sun
This, in our opinion, is one of the best songs on the album. Again, an upbeat, up-tempo number that showcases Rickâs voice to superb effect, especially when performed live (see YouTube). The repetitive lyrics and melody of this song ensure this one will stick in your memory within just a couple of listens.
Let It Rain
The next scheduled single in January 2013, to coincide with the general album release.
Simple, repetitive lyrics (much like raindrops â see what he did there?…) â this song was written the day the original PWL Hit Factory Live show was cancelled in Londonâs Hyde Park, due to rain.
âIt seems so simple when it rainsâ
Sailing
âThereâs a boat in the harbor, and itâs got your name upon itâ.
Rick says this is âprobably the most romantic line I’ve ever writtenâ, and we also know (because he told us) âSailingâ is about losing someone â but we donât know who. This song has quite a âfolkâ feel to it in our opinion, with lovely acoustic guitar and Rick counting in this song, it has a lovely mellow beginning but picks up with the piano melody and gets more up-beat as it goes on. If only we knew who he named the boat afterâŠ
Saddest Day
There is certainly a sad element to this blues-style song, the opening lyrics being âSummers gone, winters comingâ but we still think that it is brilliant, and probably one of the strongest songs on the album. Before the start of the song Rick can be heard saying âCrazy Catâ – we have no idea what this means – maybe itâs just a bit of fun to brighten his sad day?!
Lights Out
Radio CrĂšme Brulee listeners will be familiar with this song, released in April 2010. A great pop song, with tones of Coldplay (Rick admits he was listening to Coldplay a lot at the time he wrote this song alongside his friend & producer Andrew Frampton).
Goodbye But Not The End
Another big âpopâ song that would do well on radio airplay charts, in our opinion as itâs in a similar vein to âLights Outâ. Full again of romantic lyrics â you just want a hug at the end of this one.
The Bitch
Rick assures us this song is not actually about anyone in particular!
This is a jazzy/blues style song, whose lyrics may raise some eyebrows, âthe bitch didnât take the tvâ but it will also make your toes tap.
A Letter
Clearly one of the most romantic songs on the album. The most poignant collection of lyrics in this song would have to be âI only want to know that youâre alright, I only want to know that youâre safe tonightâ before going into the chorus. We feel Rick is clearly opening up in this song. Such a romantic!
Josie
You will recognize the background track to Josie â Tchaikovskyâs Swan Lake â âJosie was a little ballerinaâ.
This song has a darker theme to it, about a girl who was destined to be a ballerina, life was perfect when she was younger, however now sheâs working in a âGentlemanâs Clubâ. The song is from a Fatherâs point of view, explaining that Josie is not âDaddyâs little girlâ anymore. Unfortunately in this song, Josie was just another broken dreamer…
“My Red Book” may challenge your expectations of Rick Astley. If you are expecting a âpopâ album, you will probably be disappointed with this blues/jazz/folk-style album, but these styles do serve to highlight Rickâs vocals to great effect. Is it an album packed full of commercial singles? Frankly, no. But it is a strong album, and an album packed full of songs at their best when performed live by the multi-talented musician, songwriter and singer who is Rick Astley.
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In case you did not pick up on this earlier, the blog you are reading is affiliated with Radio Creme Brulee – an online radio station that features an eclectic mix of current pop and rock music from both sides of the Atlantic alongside hits, forgotten gems, and rarities from the last three decades. Alongside newer artists, we also play plenty of newer music by bands that rose to prominence in the 80s and the 90s. Noteworthy examples include Simply Red, Wet Wet Wet, Tears For Fears, Duran Duran, Camouflage, Spandau Ballet, INXS, Depeche Mode, Suede, The Corrs, Jamiroquai,Johnny Hates Jazz, Simple Minds, and Culture Club.
Give us a spin when you get a chance.
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Can’t wait, hoping to get a copy asap! And it’s all classic Rick to me!
I love that fact that Rick Astley has a new album out , can’t wait to get my hands one!
Your guess blogger leaves something to be desired , are they teeny boppers or was this meant to sound like it was written by teeny boppers . I’m sure most of Ricks fans have matured since the last time Rick had a release . Maybe play’n to the wrong crowd ?
I’m excited ! I’ve always loved Rick Astley ! He was my dream date . A new album from him will insure a very happy New Year !!
BTW , a review of an album before it’s release is a bit premature , don’t you think ?
I really don’t care to hear someone elses opinion when I have nothing to base MY opinion on , yet .
Josie is a very beautiful melody spun off Swan Lake. Very thought provoking. Amazing how he did it, like Barry Mantilow’s Largo/Could it be magic. “I Like the Sun,” is excellent. I got my copy a month ago & “Superman gives you glimpses inside Rick’s soul.
@Lucy: We’re definitely looking forward to it too. There is something about the artists from that glorious era. Time does not erode their competence.
@Carl: Thanks so much for the comment. As far as our guest bloggers are concerned, they are at the younger end of the age spectrum – which is what appealed to us to begin with. It allowed for a perspective and style of writing that was very different from ours. We wanted that. Furthermore, we were looking for something that gave us a sense of what to expect stylistically from the album. I personally think our guest bloggers succeeded and conveying that idea. But then again, I am sensitive to the fact that different styles of writing appeal to different folks. Age-wise, I am probably at the mid-point between the average age of the typical Rick Astley fan and the bloggers. As a result, I feel like great music transcends generations. I personally am glad that Rick Astley has younger listeners too. Just out of curiosity, how did you discover our radio station’s blog? We would love to know. Thanks once again!
@teddybear316: Thanks so much for the comment. We too share your excitement. Reviews of albums that have not released are actually fairly common. They serve as an avenue to create an appetite for future music. We wanted our reviewers to give us a sense of what to expect stylistically from the new Rick Astley album. I agree that you might have a stronger sense of how accurate the review was only after the album releases.
@TJ: Thanks so much for the comment. We’re hoping “I Like The Sun” is radio-friendly! We’re dying to feature new Rick Astley music that fits our radio format.
….CUSTOM is a big job and is ultimately the essence of our great musician and singer Rick Astley;
I fell for all the songs and did not stop to listen……
Hi there, seems like this album has gone missing everywhere. Any suggestion to buy it? Thanks
@Jose: I too wonder what happened to the album release. The lead single was released almost a year ago. It looks like a few fans got advance copies. Not sure what the album has not seen the light of day. I can follow up with Rick’s management and get back to you on this.
Where I can find the Rick Astley’s CD “My red book”? I’d like very much to buy it.
@Margareth: That’s a tough one. The album release is over 2 years overdue. Only certain fans were given a pre-release of the album. It was on ebay a little while ago but I guess it sold it fairly quickly given what a rare collector’s item it is. It is not very clear as to why Rick Astley chose not to release the album. He was talking about a lot in the months leading to the planned release date.
I’m looking for “My Red Book” too. If he wails “I Like The Sun” on the album the way he does in the video clip from Bournemouth in 2012, I don’t see how it could avoid getting airplay. It’s powerful and very stirring.
@Lee: It is still not clear why the release of this album was shelved. I’ve been trying to reach out to the writers of this piece. They are in active contact with Rick Astley’s management. I will try once again to see what the status on this album is. Thank you so much for the comment.
Big Rick fan; still have my fingers crossed for the album, although it unfortunately seems unlikely.
@Corey: We cannot for the life of us understand why this album never saw the light of day – especially since Rick was talking about it a lot when the album’s lead single “Superman” was released.
I managed to get a hold of one of the promotional copies. Would it be okay if I posted it online and shared the link here so people can download and listen to it? If it ever does get an official release, I’ll delete the link straight away.
Here’s a link to stream the album anyway
http://grooveshark.com/#!/playlist/My+Red+Book+2013/104079408
@John: Thank you so much for the streaming link. I think we may have been a little uncomfortable with putting a download link directly on here. Definitely curious to hear what this sounds like.
is it possible to find in CD-Audio format, the album “My red book”?