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I TRIED TO CHANGE MYSELF, BE SOMEONE ELSE

LOST MYSELF ALONG THE WAY

IT TOOK ITS TOLL, I FINALLY KNOW

THE PRICE THAT I HAVE PAID

AND IT’S TIME TO CHANGE…

That noble sentiment, so much easier said than done, is the opening salvo to Mike Rickard’s latest album ‘Out Loud.’ The title track, dedicated to the “victims, survivors and families of the Pulse Orlando shooting” resounds with defiant jubilance, refusing to be cowed or broken by hatred and fear. “I thought I was the only one,” he sings, “But I know I’m not alone. The faces may change but the story’s still the same. I am them and they are me, and we are strong.” Setting up the strength of love to vanquish hate, it’s a proclamation that Rickard has made throughout his musical career, but perhaps one which was difficult even for him to fully believe. The past few years have made political activists out of anyone who dares to be different or dares to be themselves. Rickard takes up the mantle, putting fear and frustration to song, as in the shuffling ‘Alright’ and the melancholy â€˜Don’t Feed the Ghosts’ – the latter of which finds him ready to give final exorcism to past events, a glorious kiss-off to what has come and gone but still finds a way to haunt him.

‘Out Loud’ accomplishes what Rickard has always done well: it tells stories, setting emotion to characters and music, and bringing the listener along for the ride, as it so compellingly proves with ‘Six Queer Kids’ and its powerful video. Telling the not-uncommon tale of a boy kicked out of his home for being gay, and the ensuing tragedies that result, it weaves its warning with a barely-there lining of hope:

SIX QUEER KIDS WILL DIE HOMELESS EVERY DAY

FOR NO OTHER REASON EXCEPT THAT THEY WERE GAY

AND IF IT GETS BETTER, WELL IT DIDN’T FOR THEM

SO FOR EACH ONE THAT’S LOST, WE’VE GOT TO FIND THEM

SO WHO’S GONNA BE THERE, WHO’S GONNA CARE ENOUGH

TO HELP WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED, TO LOVE WITH NO QUESTIONS ASKED?

WHO’S GONNA BE THERE, WHO’S GONNA CARE ENOUGH

TO LET HIM KNOW HE’S NOT ALONE, TO HELP FIND A SENSE OF HOPE?

WHO’S GOING TO, WILL IT BE YOU?

Contrasting with the somber social themes, the midsection and heart of the album has Rickard waxing wistful and romantic, as on ‘You’re to Blame’ and ‘Taste Your Smile,’ in which he indulges in some happy reflections on being in love. “So let me say it, let me lay it on the line,” he sweetly opines, “I still see you, like I saw you for the first time.” As in most great love stories, ambivalence and doubt creeps into this one as well, yet the honesty that tempers it brings about something more genuine and lasting. As heard in ‘Wouldn’t Be Love’ the narrator finds a way of reconciling the trials and breaking points of life as the very things that strengthen and solidify love. The complex quartet of love songs rounds itself out with ‘What Love Looks Like’ – a simple but heartfelt distillation of a true romance that sways gently and sweetly. 

Sonically, Rickard’s music has evolved since ‘Stirred, Not Shaken’ ~ moving further along from the occasionally-country inflections of that early work to incorporate a few more electronic flourishes without sacrificing song structure. It makes sense given the trajectory that can be explored later on in ‘Sweat’ and its follow-up remix EP that ‘Out Loud’ completes this journey in brilliant fashion. 

The penultimate cut is a gorgeously string-adorned aural jewel to keep on keeping on: ‘Not Finished Yet;’ comes with telling punctuation to indicate that Rickard’s voyage is far from over, and it speaks to a broader and more compelling message to anyone about to give up. He closes out this album with ‘Surrender’ – a dose of hard-earned wisdom that uncertainty and doubt, when acknowledged and honored, are the other sides of acceptance and confidence; without them any genuine self-love rings slightly hollow. It takes most of us a number of years before coming to such a place. After an album, and a lifetime, of introspective tension, Rickard finally lets loose, surrendering in a clever sonic illustration of steely vulnerability. A little bit bruised, a little bit broken, and all the more beautiful because of it.

TOMORROW IS A WHISPER THAT MAY NEVER SPEAK

SO I’M GONNA LIVE THIS MOMENT HONESTLY

I’LL LAUGH A LITTLE LOUDER, LOVE A LITTLE HARDER

BE A BIT MORE OF ME, LIVE LIKE I AM FREE

WHY SHOULDN’T I, WHY SHOULDN’T I?

{If you happen to be in the Atlanta area this evening, pop in to Mike Rickard’s listening party for his latest album, ‘Out Loud’ at the Red Light Cafe. For more information on ‘Out Loud’ and other work, check out Mr. Rickard’s website here.}

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