From the nest of Fredericton’s vibrant blues community comes Richie Young with his newest album, Turn Back On Your Radio. The record is a no-frills time machine back to the classic blues tracks of the 70s.
The album is, for the most part, reminiscent of a lazy summer day. Young’s warm drawl plays out across seven tracks over languid guitar and harmonica wails that sound lifted straight from the backdrop of an old country western. It’s a slow and easy listen, a great backdrop for sitting on the porch with a whiskey and a cigar.
Young covers quite a range as far as lyrical content goes, but nothing too far outside of the confines of typical blues tropes. Life, death, cheating, shotguns – even an upbeat ode to marijuana on “Shiskaberry Crawl.”
As is often the way with the gruff utterances of a blues singer, the specifics of the lyrics get lost at times. However, Young sings them with such conviction and has arranged the tracks in such a way that you find yourself relating all the same.
Young can’t take all the credit, however. The last two songs on the album are actually covers. “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” is Young’s take on the classic blues track dating back to 1922. He closes the album off with a tribute to Dave Van Ronk with “Hang Me oh Hang Me,” managing to mirror the sombre tone present in the original while putting his own twist on it.
The album begins and ends with a slow and peaceful pace, with few surprises in between. This is far from a bad thing – it provides a deep comfort that will stay with you after the final track has ended.
Tour Dates:
03.20.19 – Fredericton, NB @ Gahan House
03.28.19 – Fredericton, NB @ The Muse
03.29.19 – Sussex, NB @ Uncle G’s
04.10.19 – Fredericton, NB @ Gahan House
05.02.19 – Montreal, QC @ L’Escalier
05.03.19 – Toronto, ON @ Free Times Cafe
05.05.19 – Peterborough, ON @ Black Horse Pub
05.06.19 – Orillia, ON @ The Brownstone Cafe
05.07.19 – Kitchener, ON @ The Funky Olive Hair Studio
05.08.19 – Toronto, ON @ The Local
05.09.19 – London, ON @ Dundas and Sons Brewing Company
05.10.19 – Burlington, ON @ Village Cigar Company
05.10.19 – London, ON @ Rail City Brewing
05.11.19 – Cambridge, ON @ Rhythm and Brews
05.13.19 – Kingston, ON @ Musiikki Cafe
05.14.19 – Montreal, QC @ Barfly
Richie Young: FACEBOOK