Fines, RickRiley Wants His Life Back2003IndependentRAF004

Fines, Rick - Riley Wants His Life Back - 2003 - Independent - RAF004

Written by John Taylor

Question… is it nostalgia if the perpetrator wasn't there in the first place?

Case in point - Peterborough, Ontario's Rick Fines, one of the most personable young men on Canada's musical landscape, wasn't even born when music of the sort on Riley Wants His Life Back was popular.

A mix of jazz and blues, country, ragtime and what can only be described as hokum, with the results almost vaudevillian in their cheerful eclecticism, it's unabashedly old-fashioned. Yet Fines isn't wallowing in a falsely golden past, nor is he out to achieve historical accuracy. He borrows freely when it's to the music's benefit, and isn't at all afraid to cross genres. And the results are delightful indeed.

Fines first came to prominence as the leader of the Jackson Delta Trio, a band that took the roots community by storm with their debut in 1989. After several successful releases, he launched a solo career that's kept him a busy man indeed. Here he's moved back into a trio format, augmented by several guests including producer/bassist Alec Fraser and he of many horns, Chris Whiteley, who adds immeasurably to the mood with softly muted trumpet on a handful of songs.

Fines wrote all the material, showing a sure hand both musically and lyrically. There's the title tune, a slightly surreal riff on "the life of Riley" (itself a somewhat dated reference - if necessary, ask your parents!) and its all-too-easy loss. Clever, albeit, gentle sarcasm fuels Perfect Politician. And there's wit, both wry and dry, in Got To Get My Rest, a lazy man's anthem as laid-back as its title suggests.

Let Me Please You is pure west coast swing, 50's style by way of the recent revival. Yet, Can You Forgive Me wouldn't sound out of place in a New Orleans funeral march. What's Home To Me is reminiscent of 1960s folk-pop, but taken at a jauntier pace and with Rob Phillips' rollicking piano transporting it to an earlier era. And it's hard to say what's best about the Creole-flavoured I Just Had To Ask, whether it's Peter Andrée's accordion or the uncanny sound Phillips extracts from his piano. I had to check the liner notes twice to verify that it's really him and not someone playing steel drums.

Both Just A Little Kiss and I Miss Her are the sort of songs that simply don't get written anymore; like something out of an old black and white movie, they're almost theatrical in their spare yet somehow lush arrangements and evocative moods. That both feature the exemplary trumpet work of Whitely is no coincidence. Swingin' In The Trees is the lone instrumental, a pleasant ditty with more extraordinary piano from Phillips. (He may well be the disc's secret weapon - he's nothing short of exemplary throughout).

Fines is one of Canada's finest fingerpickers, a distinguished scholar and a highly-respected teacher regularly leading workshops at a number of the nation's most prestigious festivals. No surprise, then, that his own work throughout is stellar yet invariably tasteful. His slight nasal twang and laconic delivery are ideally suited to the material, his voice quickly assuming the quality of an old and trusted friend.

Given it's "old-timey" feel, Riley Wants His Life Back won't be to all tastes. And be forewarned - if you have children, this is the kind of disc that will only confirm your "total square" status. But I can't think of a better antidote to either the ridiculous pace of urban life or the cold, dark Canadian winter. Riley is as refreshing as a gentle spring breeze and as warm as a summer's day.

Absolutely delightful, this one gets my very highest recommendation!

Copyright 2004. Review by John Taylor.

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