Ricky Byrd, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as the guitarist with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts for 10 years, has released a fourth solo album called NYC Made. The 12-song collection is a throwback of sorts inspired by Top 40 radio of the singer, songwriter and guitarist’s youth. The album’s catchy single, the autobiographical “Transistor Radio Childhood,” has Byrd revisiting all his early music influences from AM radio of the 60s and 70s while his New York Yankees and WABC DJs kept it all in balance.
Released on Stevie Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records with co-producer Bob Stander, keyboardist Jeff Kazee (Asbury Jukes), fiddle player Tony Montalbo, drummers Steve Holley (Wings), Aaron Comess (the Spin Doctors) and Thommy Price (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts), Uptown Horns Arno Hecht and Larry Etkin and the Ba Ba Blacksheep Singers (Stevie Van Zandt, Willie Nile, Jeff Kazee and Marc Ribler), NYC Made is no-bones rocker that bears a passion for old-school rock and roll without pretention or gimmick.
“(Ya Get) 1 Life” is a playful opener with Beach Boys-like harmonies and an edgy riff that immediately pulls you in. Melodies and harmonies come together catchy fare like “Glamdemic Blues,” “Anna Lee,” “Louanne” and “Alien.” The riff takes centerstage on “Rhapsody In Blues (One For Jeff),” an instrumental inspired by Jeff Beck, as well as on “Stay Grateful” and “RnR’s Demise (Has Been Greatly Exaggerated),” which calls out rock’s longevity with a “new generation” in the wings, ready to carry the tradition on.
Ballads like “The Along Comes You” and The album’s closing “Best Of Times” capture Byrd’s emotive side and adaptable versatility. An all-around musician with the backing of Stevie Van Zandt (credited as Consigliere on the liner notes), Ricky Byrd is making his own way forward as he tips his hat to the past. NYC Made is not only an open book of where he’s been and what he’s done; most importantly, it’s about what he’s doing now being even better with age.
~ Shawn Perry
