I approached this release with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Ricky’s debut release, the six song CD You Set The Scene, was my favourite release of last year and this single represents their first new material, albeit only one track, since then. I was excited about hearing it but also fearful it would be a disappointment – I need not have worried.
Sunset View starts with muted electric guitars and vocals and builds effortlessly with extra vocal lines, drums, acoustic guitars and bass being added. Everything flows beautifully and in all it consists of two verses, three choruses and a middle eight. 2 minutes and 20 seconds of pop perfection and then it is gone. It seems so fleeting that by the time you have gotten to grips with it it is gone and you are ready to listen to it again.
My initial reaction was that it lacked the energy of the best songs on You Set The Scene but repeated listens have shown that it does not have to strive for your attention. It just gradually makes its way into your subconscious until you cannot get it out of your head. It also benefits from the fact that the band had extra time to mix it and it definitely sounds better than any of the songs on You Set The Scene. In particular the bass is far more prominent resulting in a warmer sound. It is my favourite song of the year so far.
The second track on this two-song single is an acoustic version of Maybe Together from You Set The Scene. It would have been interesting to have heard this version before the full band one because I cannot help but add the electric guitar line from that version to it in my head when I listen to it. It does feature some wonderful acoustic guitar work though, and again benefits from the warmer sound with the bass prominent in places. Overall it works well but I prefer the original full band version.
[Released by Bod The Mod Records 2003]
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