{"id":26213,"date":"2025-03-11T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=26213"},"modified":"2025-03-10T09:22:02","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T09:22:02","slug":"ricky-warwick-blood-ties-earache-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=26213","title":{"rendered":"Ricky Warwick – \u2018Blood Ties\u2019 (Earache Records)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Not content with resurrecting his old band The Almighty and continuing to fly the Thin Lizzy flag with Black Star Riders in recent years, singer\/songwriter Ricky Warwick returns with a brand-new solo album entitled \u2018Blood Ties\u2019, the follow up to 2021\u2019s \u2018When Life Was Hard and Fast\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Produced by friend, collaborator and former Buckcherry guitar slinger Keith Nelson, \u2018Blood Ties\u2019 is a personal and life affirming album that sees the Northern Irish troubadour amp up the guitars and deliver the goods, with the help of a few famous friends along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Angels Of Desolation\u2019 is a strong album opener for sure and sets the scene for this 10 track affair of the rock n\u2019 roll heart (11 including the CD only bonus cut \u2018Not My Circus\u2019). Upbeat and euphoric in equal measures, it’s up there commercially with his best work. A punchy rocker of a tune with a killer chorus. The crisp production job highlight’s the crunching guitars and the powerhouse drums to the max. It’s a life affirming ride down a path of self-destruction and out the other side intact. \u201cSo, you think I’ve had enough?\u201d Ricky begs the question as the instruments fade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next up, \u2018Rise & Grind\u2019 is a more poignant look at the homeless situation in L.A. and features the ripping, wah-wah infused guitar work of Blackberry Smoke main man Charlie Starr, sounding like he’s having the time of his life here, free from the constraints of his Southern Rock day job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enlisting Lita Ford to duet on \u2018Don’t Leave Me In The Dark\u2019 is a bit of a dream come true for Runaways fan boy Ricky. The jangly, 60\u2019s guitar intro leads into a smouldering vocal before Lita\u2019s unmistakable velvety tones take over. The male\/female juxtaposition works like a dream on the killer hook, and with its instant commercial feel and poppy vibe, it’s no surprise it was chosen as the lead single.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Thin Lizzy influence raises their head on \u2018The Crickets Stayed In Clover\u2019. Bittersweet, yet as catchy as the common cold, it’s a trademark Ricky Warwick style single and an instantly satisfying song that remains an album highlight after multiple plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Side one ends strong with \u2018Don\u2019t Sell Your Soul To Fall In Love\u2019, a slow burner that builds to a chorus with the angst, the blood, fire and love of a classic Almighty tune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, turning the virtual needle and we are met with a more, dare I say, \u2018contemporary modern rock\u2019 feel with the likes of \u2018Dead & Gone\u2019 and \u2018The Town That Didn’t Stare\u2019. And while it doesn’t really hit the euphoric heights of side one, it certainly has its moments. The Cult legend Billy Duffy leads the way with his unmistakable guitar licks on \u2018The Hell Of Me And You\u2019. Here, Ricky delivers an effortlessly cool vocal while Mr. Duffy solos like its 1989! Top stuff indeed. Elsewhere, \u2018Crocodile Tears\u2019 has a killer chorus, with some sublime backing vocals that seal the deal. The kingpin of side two for sure, is it me or is there Bryan Adams vibes going on here? And bonus closing track \u2018Not My Circus\u2019 continues to embrace the ghost of Thin Lizzy to the max, a worthy addition to the album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Blood Ties\u2019 is a surprisingly upbeat and strong album from one of the UK\u2019s original rock survivors. Whether you know him from Black Star Riders, The Almighty or from touring with his heroes Stiff Little Fingers, there is plenty to enjoy here. With not an acoustic guitar in sight, \u2018Blood Ties\u2019 is a full-blown rock album that sees the songwriter dig deep and bare his soul more than he ever has before. An outstanding record that is up there with the best of \u2018em so far this year, get it while it’s hot. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy Here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FACEBOOK<\/u><\/strong><\/a> | <\/strong>INSTAGRAM<\/u><\/strong><\/a> | <\/strong>X<\/u><\/strong><\/a> | <\/strong>YOUTUBE<\/u><\/strong><\/a> | <\/strong>SPOTIFY<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author: Ben Hughes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not content with resurrecting his old band The Almighty and continuing to fly the Thin Lizzy flag with Black Star Riders in recent years, singer\/songwriter Ricky Warwick returns with a brand-new solo album entitled \u2018Blood Ties\u2019, the follow up to 2021\u2019s \u2018When Life Was Hard and Fast\u2019 Produced by friend, collaborator and former Buckcherry guitar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26214,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[726,1989],"class_list":["post-26213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-review","tag-ben-hughes","tag-ricky-warwick"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26213"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26215,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26213\/revisions\/26215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}