Gary Ritchie “Hum, Sing, Repeat!”

Some power pop has the same effect as your favorite comfort foods, it may not be too fancy but it really satisfies that craving. Gary Ritchie has done some great lo-fi pop previously, and this all-new album does an even better job. The songs are all short melodic gems that follow the Beatles meets Nick Lowe template. In fact Gary tells us in the liner notes who the influence is for each song, like “This Time Around” has a touch of Tom Petty and The Who. Some tunes fall very easily into the Merseybeat revival like “Pretty Little Gina” and “Hear From You.” The melody lines and composition is really strong here, “Alright” being a really good hook-filled example in the Pezband-Kinks mode.

And Gary simply doesn’t recreate the riffs, but builds his own songs along the classic guidelines. The song “When I Grow Up,” really hits home to aging pop fans with lyrics; “will I age like a vintage wine/ or be a drunkard in my prime when I grow up?” and the defiant “I won’t” over the chorus answer the question. There are a whopping 18 tracks here, and just about every song resonates fun and nostalgic warm feelings. And its not all one style, “Fancy Two Tone Car” is a countrified rocker that combines the Bryds and Eddie Rabbit and the Rick Springfield styled “Could Have Been Love” are both catchy nuggets. Great job, Gary!