![]() The album closes with a brief piano led outro replete with Elvis Costello style vibrato vocals. Shade Of Shameless returns to a mellower path as another achingly beautiful and reflective ballad whilst Forever Ghosts, Gravity and Waiting all tackle the issues of love, loss and wounded hearts through a classic fusion of Paul Westerberg and Tom Petty vibes channelled through Rich Ragany’s very own rock’n’roll funnel. Pretty Breeze follows with another intense blast of hardcore power-pop with Kit’s vocal harmonies once again adding new dimensions to the sound. This was the first single to be taken from the album and was inspired by a chance meeting by Rich with an old friend who was not going to let a broken arm prevent him from going on tour as a sound technician. ![]() Highgate Sun takes a side-step into folk territory before the gentle opening piano refrains of One Last Thing To Prove are suddenly overtaken by a Stooges style blast of anthemic rock’n’roll. The End Of All Things is another melancholy ballad in which Kit Swing’s glorious backing vocals really shine through to give it a real emotional edge. One More For The Train is a more melancholy and heart-wrenching Americana style ballad which speaks more of loneliness, whilst Til’ I’m On My Feet again follows on with a more upbeat vibe offering a little more solace. The Tom Petty style anthemic rock’n’roll chorus lines of You’re My Way Back Home give us a sense of enlightenment about the way forward, whilst in contrast the harder edged sound of How Much Of Me Is You paints a picture of a more challenged relationship. ![]() Whilst its message is about hanging onto the memory of those we may have lost, this should not detract from the overall feel of this album which is very much about the here and now as well as finding a way forward. The blistering opening guitar driven chords of the title track make an immediate statement of intent as to what lies ahead here, with more than a nod to the kind of melodic power-pop infused rock’n’roll synonymous with Paul Westerberg and a vocal style which reminds me very much of Turn Up The Mains by Jesse Malin. And it doesn’t take many minutes from putting this album on to realise how well this works. It was through the collective wealth of experience and influences that the individual members could bring to this particular rock’n’roll party that probably had a major impact on the decision to step back from the wider cinematic soundscapes of the previous album and move towards more of a live and direct feel on the new songs, allowing the personality of each player to shine through. With Rich on guitar, vocals and drums, the band comprise Gaff (Desperate Measures, Glitterati) on lead guitar, Kit Swing (Mallory Knox, Seven Days And Doesn’t Die) on guitar and vocals, Andy Brook (producer at the Brook Studios) on keyboards, vocals and guitar, Ricky McGuire (UK Subs, The Men They Couldn’t Hang) on bass and Simon Maxwell (Role Models, Yo Yos) on drums and percussion. So there was always a feeling that once the band actually got together in a studio again, they could literally take the roof off, and now we have the proof through their new album, What We Do (To Not Let Go). The nucleus of the band had now been well established even through a remote recording process fuelled by social distancing rules. The grass was certainly not about to grow under Rich’s feet given that, even before the release of that album, he already had another batch of new songs and ideas ready to roll and time was booked in The Brook Studios in Wallington Rock City. It was obvious that there was no stopping this band of rock’n’roll brothers in taking life by the scruff of its neck and giving it a right good kick into new and unchartered waters. Fusing together a magnificent blend of influences from his punk roots, through power-pop, rock’n’roll and all things Americana, this album stood proudly within its peer group as a defining statement for Rich Ragany & The Digressions. Whilst the pandemic put so many people’s life on pause and a creative hiatus for many of those in the entertainment industry, that certainly cannot be said for Canadian born Rich Ragany who enjoyed a self-confessed “creative roll” culminating in the release of Beyond Nostalgia And Heartache in July 2021. It’s a majestic album full of soaring melodies, anthemic choruses and serious rock’n’roll credentials, but also one with a wide palette of moods and sounds and a real heart and soul at its core. Rich Ragany & The Digressions continue the momentum that no pandemic was ever going to supress as these rock’n’roll trailblazers are once again ready to take the world by storm through their new album, What We Do (To Not Let Go).
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