27 October 2021
Boston-based Americana artist Kieran Ridge – with three records under his belt – started his latest project in the middle of the global pandemic. With a new band made up of talented locals, now dubbed The Moonrakers, Ridge and crew got to work on possibly his strongest effort yet.
Across nearly a dozen tracks, Kieran Ridge & The Moonrakers make nods to Dylan (“Blind In Time”), John Prine (“Wasted”) and a slew of other country/folk greats. The self-titled album opens on “The Last One To Know,” deftly showing off his picking style, striking a defiant tone with the lines “Love is silence/Love is death/Love don’t give a damn/A man seeks satisfaction anywhere he can.” But he is just as likely to sing of love and longing (“Straight To The Heart Of Love”). The standout track here, however, is “Your Drifting Heart,” part Springsteen and Mellencamp with a chorus that stays with you long after the song is over. The album ends on “Close Your Eyes,” a song he initially recorded seven years ago. This newer arrangement is slower and more melancholy, without the constant drum rolls on the snare, making for a stronger emotional impact.
The album – like all of his previous LPs – was produced and recorded by Ridge. There is a cohesiveness and immediacy to the songs here that was missing on some of his earlier records. Over the course of a decade, Ridge has settled into a stronger writer and more confident musician. The proof can be found all over his latest album.
John B. Moore has been covering the seemingly disparate, but surprisingly complimentary genres of Americana and punk rock for the past 20 years.
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