RICKY WARWICK · When Patsy Cline Was Crazy & Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues / Hearts On Trees | BLACK 2LP

Black double vinyl in gatefold sleeve.

Background information about ''

There are solo albums, and then there are solo statements — and Ricky Warwick's double-album opus is very much the latter. The Almighty frontman and current Black Star Riders vocalist doesn't just step away from the amplifiers here; he tears down the whole damn wall between his electric and acoustic selves, and the result is nothing short of exhilarating.

The first LP, "When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues)," is Warwick in full-throttle rock mode, and man, does it cook. From the swaggering opener "The Road to Damascus Street" to the wistful punch of "Celebrating Sinking" — featuring Therapy?'s Andy Cairns on backing vocals — this is Warwick doing what he does best: storytelling drenched in grit, melody, and that unmistakable rasp. The title track itself is a masterclass in narrative songwriting, a cinematic slice of Americana filtered through a Belfast lens. And the guest list? Ginger Wildheart, Richard Fortus, Billy Morrison, Nathan Connolly — it reads like a who's-who of rock 'n' roll renegades, and every single one of them brings the fire.

Then you flip to LP two, "Hearts On Trees," and the mood shifts beautifully. Here Warwick strips things back to their raw, acoustic core, and it's where his songwriting truly gleams. Joe Elliott of Def Leppard lends his unmistakable harmonies to tracks like "Presbyterian Homesick Blues" and the gorgeous title cut, while "Schwaben Redoubt" features Stiff Little Fingers' Jake Burns in a duet that'll give you chills. The cover of Leon Payne's "Psycho" is hauntingly bare, and "82" closes things out with the kind of reflective warmth that stays with you long after the needle lifts. Two sides of the same coin, two albums that couldn't be more different — yet they belong together like whiskey and a long night.

For fans of:
Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders, The Almighty, Therapy?, Ginger Wildheart, Stiff Little Fingers

Track listing

LP 1:
A1. The Road To Damascus Street
A2. Celebrating Sinking
A3. When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues)
A4. Toffee Town
A5. That's Where The Story Ends
A6. Johnny Ringo's Last Ride
B1. Gold Along The Cariboo
B2. Son Of The Wind
B3. If You're Not Going To Leave Me (I'll Find Someone Who Will)
B4. Yesteryear
B5. The Whiskey Song (Feckin' Whiskey)
B6. Tank McCullough Saturdays (Electric Version)

LP 2:
C1. Presbyterian Homesick Blues
C2. Tank McCullough Saturdays
C3. Psycho
C4. Hearts On Trees
C5. Said Samson To Goliath
C6. Way Too Cold For Snow
D1. Schwaben Redoubt
D2. The Year Of Living Dangerously
D3. Disasters
D4. 82
D5. Love Owes
D6. Eight Bells (Demo Version)

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