This Is the Life (Ricky Ross album)

Last updated
This Is the Life
RRThisIsTheLife.jpg
Studio album by
Released2002
Genre Rock, pop
Label Chrysalis Records (Papillon) (UK)
Evolver (US)
Producer Kenny MacDonald, Ricky Ross, Davie Scott
Ricky Ross chronology
The Undeveloped Heart EP
(1997)
This Is the Life
(2002)
Pale Rider
(2005)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
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This Is the Life is a solo album from Scottish rock musician Ricky Ross, a member of Deacon Blue.

Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the early 1950s, and developed into a range of different styles in the 1960s and later, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, a style which drew heavily from the genres of blues, rhythm and blues, and from country music. Rock music also drew strongly from a number of other genres such as electric blues and folk, and incorporated influences from jazz, classical and other musical styles. Musically, rock has centered on the electric guitar, usually as part of a rock group with electric bass, drums, and one or more singers. Usually, rock is song-based music usually with a 4/4 time signature using a verse–chorus form, but the genre has become extremely diverse. Like pop music, lyrics often stress romantic love but also address a wide variety of other themes that are frequently social or political.

Richard Alexander "Ricky" Ross is a Scottish singer-songwriter and broadcaster. He is the lead singer of the rock band Deacon Blue.

Deacon Blue Scottish band

Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop rock band formed in Glasgow during 1985. The line-up of the band consists of vocalists Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime and drummer Dougie Vipond. The band released their debut album, Raintown, on 1 May 1987 in the United Kingdom and in the United States in February 1988. Their second album, When the World Knows Your Name (1989), topped the UK Albums Chart for two weeks, and included "Real Gone Kid" which became their first top ten single in the UK Singles Chart.

Contents

Ross produced the album with Kenny MacDonald, who had produced for Deacon Blue in the past. The album has more touches of folk and country music and the general mood of the album is more placid than most of the Deacon Blue catalog.[ citation needed ]

Deacon Blue colleague James Prime plays piano on "The Way to Work", and Ross' wife and Deacon Blue colleague Lorraine McIntosh contributes vocals to one song (as she did on each of Ross' three prior solo albums), "Nothing Cures That".

James Prime is best known as the keyboard player for Deacon Blue. He also lectures at the University of the West of Scotland. Known as a Hammond/piano player, his talents have been sought after by John Martyn, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Cunningham, Eddi Reader and Little Richard..

Lorraine McIntosh Scottish singer and actress

Lorraine McIntosh is a Scottish singer best known as a vocalist with Scottish band Deacon Blue. She has also achieved success as an actress, starring in River City and appearing in Taggart among her most notable roles in television.

This is the first Ricky Ross solo album to receive a US release.

Track listing

All songs written by Ricky Ross, except where noted.

  1. "Northern Soul" (Ross, Charlie Dore) – 6:34
  2. "London Comes Alive" (Ross, Mick Slaven) – 3:33
  3. "Rodeo Boy" (Ross, Davie Scott) – 4:32
  4. "Angel and Mercedes" (Ross, Slaven) – 5:05
  5. "I Sing About You" (Ross, Slaven) – 4:28
  6. "Nothing Cures That" – 4:26
  7. "This Is the Life" – 6:01
  8. "Threatening Rain" – 3:05
  9. "Starring Love" – 3:56
  10. "Hippy Girl" – 3:48
  11. "My Girl Going to Town" (Ross, Scott) – 5:13
  12. "Looking for My Own Lone Ranger" (Ross, Dore) – 2:29
  13. "The Way to Work" – 4:54

Bonus download track

  1. "Driving George" – 3:58 (No longer available as URL no longer active)

Personnel

Guitar Fretted string instrument

The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that usually has six strings. It is typically played with both hands by strumming or plucking the strings with either a guitar pick or the finger(s)/fingernails of one hand, while simultaneously fretting with the fingers of the other hand. The sound of the vibrating strings is projected either acoustically, by means of the hollow chamber of the guitar, or through an electrical amplifier and a speaker.

Percussion instrument Type of musical instrument that produces a sound by being hit

A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. The percussion family is believed to include the oldest musical instruments, following the human voice.

Piano musical instrument

The piano is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the year 1700, in which the strings are struck by hammers. It is played using a keyboard, which is a row of keys that the performer presses down or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands to cause the hammers to strike the strings.

Related Research Articles

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