6. Girl Has The Essence - Very nice funk guitar with a wah-wah effect starts off the song and
then Ricky breaks into a simply melodic, beautiful song. Again, the vocals are hypnotic, so
hypnotic that I almost missed the cool little fills the percussion was throwing in - almost.
Basically, Ricky is a one man tornado that is a tremendous party band on par with the old J.
Geils Band. Now, the style of music is totally different, but the groove is the same. You knew if
Geils was playing then a massive party would be happening. I have the feeling that anywhere
Ricky plays is one massive joyous event!
7. It’s Alright - Man, I dig those little
rolls Ricky puts down at the beginning
of the song.
He goes into a very mellow, laid back
groove and actually croons. The thing
is that it sounds very good. All of a
sudden, I am aware of the bass and the
drums hitting the pocket for a subtle
jam, then the mellow crooning is back,
but backed by some funky guitar and
Ricky on the drums who seems to
enjoy throwing in high-hat fills. The
guitar then steps up for a very melodic
and soulful jam before the chorus
comes back. This time however, the crooning is replaced by some very intense vocals. Overall,
Ricky has a fantastic range and is able to switch moods in an instant.
8. People Of The World - The listener is hit
with a massive blast of Reggae Funk right
from the start. The bass and drums are spot on
while the guitar provides a chopping chord
background that makes the listener want to
move. There is still room for a blistering
guitar jam towards the end of the song that
includes a wicked walk down run. Ricky is a
young and very talented musician. This song
is filled with the idealistic innocence of youth
which is, at least for this old Punk, both
endearing and admirable. The Dead Kennedys
this isn’t.
9. Goodbye 16 - Man, I like the intro to this
song. It is a hurricane of sound that blasts into
the listener’s head. Then the Reggae vibe
kicks in and Ricky tells us the story of losing his innocence. I really like this track. His vocals
are intense, at times bordering on screaming, before returning to a melodic tone. Actually, the