aaamusic | On 30, Nov 2013

Guitar player Richard Warren is a British songwriter, musician and producer. He combines country soul, Southern Gothic, apocalyptic blues, and English Romanticism.

His third album Rich Black Earth was released on 4^th  November, 2013 through Decimal Records. It’s the third part of what he calls his ‘Ditch Trilogy’ and follows The Wayfarer, his acclaimed 2011 album.

‘Ox’ , a creepy, intriguing soundtrack, is reverb-heavy and distorted, whilst ‘Rot and Rust’ sounds like a powerful and emotional Roy Orbison number. A charming country lament can be found in ‘Flowers’ whilst ‘Know’ is reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen‘s stark and dark Nebraska era. ‘Weeping Tree’ could easily be a moody and atmospheric Elvis Presley song.

These are primitive folk songs that have a raw, stripped down feel, and visualise a society that has broken down. They explore the post-Elvis, pre-Beatles world of rockabilly in a strangely intense way . Sometimes Richard’s music is called ‘Lynchian’, after the actor director and musician David Lynch, because of its dreamy and surrealistic feel.

★★★★★

Anthony Weightman