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May 17, 2008 @ Exit/In — Ricky Young Ricky Young is Rising to the Top of Nashville's Indie Music Scene Nashville-based alt-country artist Ricky Young has just released Learn to Steal, one of the best alt-country releases of 2008. The 10-song LP manages to pull from influences as diverse as Echo and the Bunnymen, The Replacements, and Bright Eyes, while infusing the southern folk-rock vibe of REM, Ryan Adams, and Wilco. Young's voice is unique, memorable, and infectious. Like Ian McCulloch, Michael Stipe, Paul Westerberg, and Ryan Adams, Young will win his audiences more through his recordings than with his live performances. To be sure, the release of Learn to Steal marks the beginning of what promises to be a very successful and (we can only hope) prolific career for Ricky Young. The CD release show at Exit/In was a straight-ahead electric performance, and lacked the ambient touches heard on Learn to Steal. Young's unique vocal tone doesn't quite cut through the mix (yet) in his live performances. But his eventual success will no doubt result in a touring soundman who will dial it in correctly. But it doesn't much matter if the vocals are perfect in the live shows—the fans know the songs and the voice they hear is the one they've played a thousand times in their car. Count this writer among them—the CD hasn't left my player since I first put it in. (Producers Ian Fitchuk and Justin Loucks deserve more than a mention here for their contribution to the brilliance of Learn to Steal.) Young writes in a lyrical style not unlike Ryan Adams, filling the space with abstract lyrics and penetrating melodic choruses that tap into unconscious longings. These songs have mass appeal in the most non-commercial, indie sort of way. Indeed, if anyone is looking for the next Wilco, Ricky Young is a safe bet. Although no tour dates in support of Learn to Steal are currently posted, look for dates in the Southeast and beyond in the near future. Young is quickly rising to the top of Nashville's indie music scene, so catch him while he's still playing small clubs—it won't last long. —Vincent Wynne
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