A classically trained pianist and singer-songwriter from Pontypool, South Wales, Rebecca Richards is making a name for herself with her gorgeous chord progressions, melody creation, and beautiful vocals.
Rebecca Richards is one of our friends here at the magazine; she’s even helped out with doing a review for us in the past! So it’s a pleasure to listen to her new single, a single that is a marker for her upcoming EP. I remember reviewing a previous release called “Welcome to the Music Maker,” and a few months on, I can really see the continuing development of Rebecca as a songwriter and singer. This one sees her move even more firmly toward the country sound. It begins with a guitar sound from Hank Marvin’s back pocket, and the lyrics are a lament toward a broken relationship. The track is radio-friendly, and the chorus is one that has poignancy and easy appeal; its smooth, well produced, and great late-night listening.
It comes out for streaming and downloads on October 20th.
We asked Rebecca to give us a few pointers on it,
Tell us about the production, Rebecca! This was a well-produced single, and I think the mix got it right.
Rebecca-Thank you so much! For this song, I wanted something that was closer to an old-school country feel, like Glen Campbell, but with a more modern production. So I asked Tim Prottey-Jones, of First Time Flyers and presenter on country line radio, to produce it. We did it all remotely. I sent him a rough demo track of me singing with the guitar, and he created the whole track before I recorded the vocals at home and sent them to him to produce, mix, and master. I’m really delighted with what he’s done with it. It’s a strange way to do it because I never actually met him, although we communicated throughout the process. I quite liked having the ability to record my vocals myself and get them exactly as I wanted them before sending them to him to mix.
And the songwriting seems to have moved more toward the country sound, and you’ve also got a more serious subject matter here.
Rebecca- I wrote this about 18 months ago on the mandolin. It was called something else previously, but when I asked the opinion of a trusted friend, he wasn’t fussed about the title, so I changed it, and I think it’s better for it. You won’t have heard them because they are unreleased, but a lot of the songs I perform live have quite a bit of angst in them. I often joke that I write miserable songs, so this doesn’t feel new to me, but guess that it is in comparison to my previous releases. I also like to think I’m maturing as a songwriter, and I hope this comes through both musically and lyrically.
And that touch of guitar at the start brought the great Hank Marvin to mind for me.
Rebecca- Well, I guess I grew up with The Shadows; my mom loved Cliff Richard! but that wasn’t the sound I was aiming for—more old-school country but with a modern twist. That guitar sound is quite common in those types of songs. As for finding my sound, I don’t know. I feel I’m still evolving, although my passion will remain in telling a tale (usually from a first-person perspective) with lovely chords to underpin the melody; everything else is the dressing on top and will depend on the producer I’m working with.
And is this single indicative of the sound of the coming EP?
Rebecca- I like to think the quality of the production has improved since my earlier releases. I’ve been working quite hard to get the songs to where I think they should be (and deserve), but there is a mix of producers on the EP, which means they are not all going to sound the “same, and I quite like that. There is a lot more angst on the EP lyrically and quite a mix of genres, I would say, but again, telling a story underpinned by lovely chords is a constant feature.
Rebecca Richards, composition, vocals
Tim Prottey-Jones – production, drums, guitars, keys
Facebook/Twitter/Insta – @Becmusician
Joe Coombes – guitar
Artwork – Chris Powis Powell
George Price – Bass Guitar
Spotify page here
https://rockthejointmagazine.com/merchandise/
By Lorraine Foley
Hello, I hope you enjoyed the review. And, yes, we do have a new T-shirt design (above) in our merchandise. Our design looks great on me (she says modestly). Please do look around the magazine and read more of what we do, and if you like my work, then buy me a coffee at the little link on the page! Always appreciated.