Just Rick has returned with a bottle full of stories. His new single, “Oh So Lonely,” is a rollicking, soul-bearing blues confessional teetering on the knife-edge between comedy and tragedy, giving listeners a front-row seat to a man’s lifelong conversation with his drink. Rick delivers a song that’s as smart as it is sincere.
The track wastes no time in introducing us to a character who is as charismatic as he is adept at sniffing out chaos. Rick’s voice, rooted in the sounds of American roots music, wears the lines of both humor and sorrow on his sleeve, leaving his listeners laughing even as they feel the sting of realization. It’s that paradox, looseness undercut by heartbreak that defines “Oh So Lonely.” As Rick puts it himself, the song is the story of a happy-go-lucky drinker who’s slowly realizing that the bottle has been both his faithful friend and tormenter. That frank, conversational quality makes you feel connected, as if you’re sharing a drink with someone who knows all your secrets.
Rick’s influences, blues, country, bluegrass, rockabilly, and classic rock, are present in every note. The guitar work weaves in and out of storytelling and introspection, as the rhythm section keeps the tale swinging, as in a late-night end-of-shift saloon house. There’s a wink in every line. Rick doesn’t just tell a story, any more than he recites some recipe he calls for listeners to hold up a mirror, and see the pieces of all our own joys and regrets echoing in the age-old tale.
Hendersonville, N.C., may be Rick’s home. Still, his stories are everyone’s stories, and his songs tap into a universal experience of both the bittersweet camaraderie of vices and laughter from tears shed, as well as the timeless pull of a good story well told. On “Oh So Lonely,” Just Rick proves once more that he’s a troubadour of charm and truth, a guitarist and songwriter who can make us dance, wince, and toast all at once.