Sid Hagan returns, but he’s not alone – with the band Right Click, Sid teams up with seasoned musicians and producers to create a self-titled album harnessing several decades of collective industry experience. Guided by one simple tenet – to simply create music they love – Right Click generated an album touching upon a serious helping of various genres, including acoustic, alternative, Americana, blues, country, and rock. So, does Right Click’s latest release express the collective prowess, passion, and expertise of its esteemed and particularly adroit assemblage? Let’s hit the highlights…
Wait. Who does what?
The band’s nucleus is Brian Wooten (guitars of all kinds, drum sequences, voices, mixing), Marvin Taylor (guitars of all kinds), Sid Hagan (acoustic guitars, voices, mastering), and Mare Carmody (guitars and voices). Rounding out the ensemble for this particular work, they’re joined by John Spittle (drums), Brent McCullough (keyboards), and Michael Medina (bass, percussion, keys).
Listening…and talking about it.
“Not Enough Time” kicks off the album with a traveling, Americana-influenced sound and a deep, rich, slightly tuned voice. As I listen, I find myself on a train that quickly passes expanses of flat, sparsely planted plains. Each moment tells a story, but the train moves too quickly to indulge in the land’s stacked millenia of whispering history. This is a great opener, and I’m especially fond of the chorus’ warm and perfectly synced proclamation.
“Sorrow” is a smooth, quiet, country-leaning song expressing sadness in its many forms, and from its many sources. With a character-filled, wobbly, and sliding electric guitar solo, “Sorrow” tells a simple story of the heavy feelings we create, inhabit, and never successfully avoid.
“Things I Missed” brings back the edge; those dusty blues expressed through acoustic guitar and a grumbling electric. It may sit comfortably at a slower meter, but it doesn’t take away from the rebellion quietly simmering in its gut.
“In Her Spaces” starts with a great acoustic guitar arpeggio leading to the first verse sung over soft acoustic chords. This one rings of a little Christopher Cross – a little yacht rock on the open seas, given space through perfectly assigned and layered reverb.
“My Poor Heart” comes back to the blues, to the wilting notes of sudden heartbreak. Maintaining a relaxed meter, “My Poor Heart” wallows in the feeling, but realizes the healing power of acceptance.
“With the Lights Out” steps into more modern rock/pop with a percussion so crisply recorded, it sounds almost electronic. This is a darker one; a more precisely dense rock excursion with heftier, bowling electric guitar chords painting despair over the song’s foundational sparsity. With real dalliances into shadow-laced street corners and a feeling of something ominous in the air, “With the Lights Out” is unquestionably my personal favorite.
The album closes with “My Dream Come True,” and we’re back to witnessing the sun rise. This is a lighter affair with accenting slide guitar and comfortably strummed acoustic. The chorus is big, bright, layered in vocals, and brushing up against the Beach Boys’ summertime harmonies. It’s positive; it’s a gracious thank you to the person who made the journey that much better. Great melody that instantly grants one a smile, and it’s officially my second-favorite track.
But is it good?
Oh, yes. The experience – in songwriting, playing, and production – absolutely shines through here. These gentlemen are masters of their craft, and this self-titled excursion is irrefutable proof of said mastery. Looking for something pleasant, catchy, dirty when it needs to be but always sonically sublime? Something that soundtracks open plains, jewel blue skies, and the battered fields of the human heart? Then you’ll need to hear Right Click’s self-titled offering for yourself. Recommended listening.
BELOW: Listen to Right Click and check them out on Bandcamp and Soundcloud. Please support Right Click by visiting their website and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.
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