Ricky Wilcox & The Moonsnakes - Last Day On Planet Earth

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 26 / 6 / 2012

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Now based in Tampa Bay, Florida and with his first solo album, 2003’s ‘Monkeyshine’ featuring the talents of Steve Connelly, it comes as no great surprise that Ricky Wilcox's latest album, ‘Last Day On Planet Earth’, is released on Florida’s excellent Sunshine Drenchy label. It is the perfect home for the eleven songs that make up this collection. Wilcox has had a long musical career, but most will be familiar with his work, in America at least, from a song from ‘Monkeyshine’ that was featured in the TV series ‘All My Children’. ‘Insignificant’ was a chiming gem of a song that deserved all the exposure it received, Wilcox, while showing that he isn’t always the most impressive singer on the planet on his solo debut, pulled out all the stops on this track and delivered his most touching vocal performance to date. The harmonies are heavenly, and with Connelly’s trademark guitar all over the song it just couldn’t fail. It’s a perfect pop song, superbly produced and played; the type of song you fall in love with on first listen. It wasn’t the only song that stood out on ‘Monkeyshine; ‘Vancouver’ is another slice of pop heaven, again Wilcox shines vocally and you shake your head at why Connelly isn’t regarded worldwide as one of this generation’s most outstanding guitar players. Over the thirteen songs on ‘Monkeyshine’ there are moments of pure brilliance, but perhaps because the songs span a period of around seven years there are also times when the quality dips slightly and the album doesn’t flow quite so well. It has to be said that the album was a grower. Tracks like ‘Shiny New’ and ‘Turnip’ have proven to be mini power pop classics and don’t sound in the least bit dated almost ten years down the line. At a perfect 34 minutes the latest from Wilcox and company, ‘Last Day On Planet Earth’, doesn’t disappoint for even one second. Clad in one of Sunshine Drenchy’s most impressive sleeves, which are becoming as interesting as the music they clothe, the very first few seconds of the opening song, ‘Spaceship Over Tulsa’ causes a massive grin to break out. Mixing his power-pop sensibilities with touches of folk music Wilcox sets the level high by opening with this melodic slice of pop heaven that just can’t fail to make you feel good no matter what the day has already thrown at you. While appreciating that this is very much a Ricky Wilcox album, it has to be said that once again Steve Connelly, who co-produces all the songs with Wilcox, adds so much to these songs. Why is it that every time I hear a Connelly guitar solo it feels like the first time I’m hearing the man and I’m stopped in my tracks? That said, Wilcox is hardly a novice, handling all the drum parts plus contributing guitar, bass and keyboards expertly throughout the album, proving that here is another musician who deserves more attention that he is currently receiving. Vocally something has changed too; there’s still that lightness to his vocals but there’s more feeling, more emotion, displayed throughout this latest collection. In fact, while Wilcox hasn’t got a particularly distinctive singing voice. it’s a warm, inviting sound on ‘Last Day On Planet Earth’ and the more you hear it the more appealing it becomes. The way he closes that opening song with the line, “ All I’m asking is do you love me/That’s all I really want to know” is particularly moving, the sentiment in his voice sounding totally honest. It’s a perfect opening four minutes that is going to soundtrack this summer for a good few people. ‘Picture’ is where Wilcox displays his Beatles/Byrds influences; it’s one of those songs that you know instantly, like you’ve lived with it all your life, while acknowledging that it is, in fact, fresh and new. It’s yet another perfect little pop song. What’s not to like? Harmonies, chiming guitars, vocals that you just can’t place but know you’ve heard many times before, and another charming Wilcox melody all contribute to make the song another dose of summer sunshine. The good-time feel that those opening two songs generate is going to make this one of the most played albums this summer. Tim Bernard’s saxophone goes some way to taking ‘Jump Back’ into a completely different direction than the songs that precede it, adding a rock ‘n’ roll feel to the proceedings shows that Wilcox is no one trick pony and lines like “you’ve got cool hair like Keith Relf “ all add to the fun. it’s more than cool that Relf is still remembered for more than his vocals. There are two short instrumental pieces on ‘Last Day On Planet Earth’. The first is the 50 second ‘Honda Prelude’ which is simply a beautiful piece of music, very atmospheric and which doesn’t, surprisingly, interrupt the flow of the album,. In fact it adds a ‘Pet Sounds’ like quality to the album which is no bad thing. The song that follows, ‘Guys Like You And Me’, is the centerpiece of ‘Last Day On Planet Earth’. The Opening lines of “ There’s a blue light hanging in the basement tonight/Colouring our rock and roll dreams/We thought they would last forever/But just a tick of the clock it seems” finds Wilcox in a reflective mood but one that many will recognize. Driven by piano and guitar, Wilcox almost mumbles the words which all adds to the melancholy feel of the song. Apart from the two short instrumentals, which both go some way to setting the mood of the songs they precede, any of the remaining nine songs could be plucked off the album for radio play, ‘Light Up’ for example is another summery pop confection that will have you singing along within seconds. It has an almost jaunty, reggae feel to it that will brighten a few barbeques this summer for sure. ‘Last Day On Planet Earth’ has to be, despite his long career and seemingly being around music forever, the best album yet that Wilcox has been involved in,. It’s varied, beautifully played and produced, hangs together brilliantly and improves with every play even though that seems impossible from the very first time you hear it as it’s so perfect from the off. But don’t just take my word for it, check out the Sunshine Drenchy site, there you can download, for free, the label’s 2012 sampler which includes those opening two songs from ‘Last Day On Planet Earth’, namely ‘Spaceship Over Tulsa’ and ‘Picture’, but be prepared to shell out for the album after hearing those songs; the rest of this latest offering from Wilcox is more of the same quality. ‘Last Day On Planet Earth’ is a remarkable set of songs and is highly recommended.

Track Listing:-

1 Spaceship Over Tulsa
2 Picture
3 Jump Back
4 Honda Prelude
5 Guys Like Me and You
6 Arms Around It
7 Sad and Beautiful
8 Light Up
9 Tik Tok
10 Last Day on Planet Earth
11 Spaceship Redux

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/Ricky-Wilcox-The-Moonsnakes-199260220094757/
http://www.rickywilcox.com/

Label Links:-

http://sunshinedrenchy.tumblr.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/sunshinedrenchy
http://www.last.fm/label/Sunshine+Drenchy+Records

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