Rick Beerhorst "A Little Piece Of The Pie"
Impressive and eclectic debut
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A bit of a Renaissance man, Rick Beerhorst is an artist and printmaker who also happens to make music. This album has been three years in the making (busy painting I presume) and features several fellow musicians from Grand Rapids Missouri who now back Beerhorst live as The Wealthy Orphans. It’s a collection of sometimes quirky tunes with a bright production that sparkles and captures the guitar and percussion particularly well.
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Beerhorst’s voice at times recalls Steve Wynn, or even Lou Reed while the song "Basquiat", about the New York artist, could have easily come from Reed’s pen, as could "Never Kissed a Girl Like You Before", although the latter's frenzied delivery does seem to nod in the direction of The Modern Lovers or even early Talking Heads. Having said that the music owes little to NY New Wave with much more light and shade in the dynamics.
They’re able to whip up a storm on "Time Of Your Life" which features some frenzied fiddle playing while the folk flavoured "Lay Me Down" is mellow and Byrds-like. A hidden song at the end of the album is a delightful confection which so resembles Scotland’s BMX Bandits I’ve been searching to see if it’s a cover. With impressive songwriting on "Sparrow Brown and Grey" Beerhorst shows that he’s no musical magpie and caps an impressive debut.
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