Rick Elias's skills have been much in demand recently -- he wrote and recorded several of the songs on the soundtrack of Tom Hanks's That Thing You Do and produced, among others, Split Level's acclaimed new release glo.bal. Rick describes this album as "a collection of 'demos' of varying quality," and it is an interesting snapshot of his current focus as a solo musician.
The instrumental duties are mainly handled by Rick himself with some assistance from his wife, Linda, Phil Madeira, Scott Rogness, Bob Sale, and Reggie Hamm. Rick is primarily a guitarist, and the guitar is the main instrument on this record although it is joined by bass, drums, Hammond organ, and harmonica. The guitar tones are mainly fairly simple but effective. There is some use of distortion, but not much, and while there is some use made of guitar solos, the main emphasis is on the songs.
The music is best described as plain rock and roll -- there are signs of roots influences and also a nod of the head towards the work Rick did for That Thing You Do. But, the album still retains a contemporary edge.
The lyrics are extremely honest and well focused, Rick is obviously a well thought-through person, and his intelligent approach to the Christian life shows here. The second track, 'God Inc.,' is an interesting example of Rick's approach - it appears to be the story of a Christian businessman who loses track of his priorities -- Rick has admitted in interviews that this song is at least partly autobiographical.
Well ain't life grand
When you hold all the aces
And there ain't no time for those friends and places
That you once knew
But you outgrew
Add a pinch of ambition
And a little dash of power
Mix it up with opportunity
And there you are
Musically this track has a loose feel which fits it well -- the guitar work is very appropriate and there is some well placed accordion and Hammond work from Phil Madeira.
A more acoustic track is 'Man Of No Reputation,' a track that takes a poignant look at Jesus. The track is musically composed of just Rick's vocals, an acoustic guitar, and a harmonica and it has a gritty beauty to it.
It was said this man
Was of no reputation
Yet he could stop
A rising storm
With a gesture of his hand
But he chose to use
His hands to heal
Hearts of darkness
Hearts of stone
Just like mine
Would be revealed
There are a number of strong tracks here, and there are no really weak tracks. But, I still feel that there is better to come, and that this album isn't quite the classic that Rick Elias is capable of.
One point worth noting is that the US version of this album contains one song, 'Pilgrims,' which isn't included on the European version that I have. When I heard the origin of this album I wasn't expecting very strong production. I was wrong -- it manages to sound well-produced and yet retain some of the rawness of its demo origins.
3.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Lighthouse Unsorted 1998Reviewed by Ed RockI'd heard so much about Rick Elias from friends and other artists and had seen his name show in production credits for albums and film scores so much, that when I got the chance to review Blink, I jumped for it. I already knew I loved "God Inc.," which had been released as a part of the Prism magazine compilation, Demonstrations Of Love. While "God, Inc." may well be the most memorable of the ten…The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by Linda T. StonehockerThe songs of Blink were never meant to be shared. After being burned twice by tepid response to his recordings, Rick Elias worked behind-the-scenes in Christian music to support his family as a producer, writer, and side-man. Over the years, late at night, he'd create a little, just for himself. The result is a series of songs that might find a home in the roots rock or alternative country…Similar sounding releases
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