‘Hearts on Trees’ is part of a forthcoming double release from Northern Ireland singer/songwriter/guitarist Ricky Warwick.
The album opens with the moody and scathing ‘Presbyterian Homesick Blues’. The song takes us on a journey through a very different and thankfully long forgotten Belfast where play parks were closed on a Sunday and the only leisure time allowed was either attending church or boredom. A time when fundamental Christians held sway. Ricky doesn’t pull any punches on this one and with searing slide guitar cutting across the brooding rhythm and Ricky’s drawling voice you know he just didn’t enjoy Sundays when he was a kid growing up in Northern Ireland.
They paint the words the good Lord said, nailed them to the trees. Tell you that you’ll burn in hell to keep on your knees.
A cover of Leon Payne’s ‘Psycho’ takes us on a journey through an eerie murder balled with a hint of ambiguity to it. Deceptively lighter in tone that it should be considering the subject material the songs tells a story of son relating and confessing his crimes and unburdening the dark side of his soul to his Mother. As you listen though, you begin to wonder much like the character in the song what crimes are real and what are imagined in his head. Ricky’s vocal phrasing on this one and the subject matter contained within makes this an eerie highlight on the record.
You think I’m psycho don’t you momma? I didn’t mean to break your cup. You think I’m psycho don’t you momma? You better let them lock me up.
‘Said Samson To Goliath’ is masterpiece of song writing and a tribute to a once vibrant Belfast awash with work and prosperity before the city became divided by the troubles and industry and community relations declined.
But they hijacked all the buses, blown the shit out of this town. Filled my nose with smoke and vitriol for the shamrock or the crown.
‘Schwaben Redoubt’ is an up-tempo and poignant tale of two unlikely friends Billy and Liam whose unlikely friendship is forged in the face of adversity and adventure in the summer of 1916 in the war torn fields of France.
It doesn’t look like Sligo or Belfast’s Sandy Row, It looks like Hades Billy boy it’s nearly time to go.
We love a story teller and an outsider here at Folk and Tumble and Ricky Warwick fits both of those descriptions well. Like all the best story tellers he’s ferocious wielding only an acoustic guitar and not afraid to challenge authority.
He manages to convey power and emotion while painting vivid pictures in our minds with his lyrics, co-written on this record with long time friend Sam Robinson. The song writing duo somehow manage to make the Newtownards Road and Harland and Wolfe’s shipyards sound almost like delta/crossroad type mythical places in this collection of songs.
The second album in the release features Ricky in his more familiar rock territory and continues the themes of growing up in greater Belfast with some absolute storming balls to the wall radio friendly rockers on it such as ‘Celebrating Sinking’ and the massive title track ‘When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues)’.
‘Hearts on Trees’ / ‘When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang the Blues)’ is released as a double album on the 26th February 2016 with Ricky and touring band The Fighting Hearts joining punk legends Stiff Little Fingers on their February and March UK tour.