Ricky Lewis Reveals a Fresh Sound with ‘clay Baby’ [stream]

Ricky Lewis – Clay Baby SoundCloud

On “Clay Baby”, Ricky Lewis stands alone. I imagine that making a song, a good song at that, is supremely difficult, but I imagine that making a song with such a limited arsenal of instruments is even more challenging. A singer with his guitar is an area that has been explored almost to ad nauseam, but somehow Ricky Lewis makes it seem fresh. He also delicately complicates the songs, though — after just an acoustic guitar and vocals, he welcomes an injection of twinkling piano notes. Then, there’s a sudden, surreal whirring as though something is coming to life. Slowly, other instruments are introduced before fading, creating the perception that Lewis is experimenting and carefully choosing what to stay. This familiarity with both the genre and the looping instruments lends itself to Lewis’ theme of redundancy as he wishes to “Break the pattern, you know, of coming back for you.” ”Clay Baby” makes an appearance on Ricky Lewis’s EP Serious Mistress.