Label: Frontiers 2012
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom
Barely alive at 85? Merely 63 actually and apparently born to be a kid again? Tricky Ricky Springfield having a go at the cliché of getting older and still trying to act like the 18 year old. Pathetic or the true nature of every human? you be the judge. One thing's for sure though, this album is only one, "Young At Heart", song away from covering all bases. But hey, major kudos for not acting like the bitter old geezer for once and the same goes for the music. It's uplifting, fresh/retro, catchy, and overall... fun, fun, fun.
You may not enjoy all the, "Songs For The End Of The World", if you're strickly eighties Springfield fan. At times very up-to-date modern commercial rock and I tend to think what if? this had been the debut album by the twenty year old musician with the backing of a major label. Nevertheless, Rick is basically the starting point for modern day power pop anyhow. Ozzie always set out to be one step ahead of the rest of the pack (Living In Oz, Tao, Rock Of Life) and to produce simple yet energetic top-40 music. Never afraid to be too commerical either since it's just another word for popular.
Whoa, whoa, whoa's and sing-a-long moments overkill makes, "Songs For The End Of The World", the best Springfield album since the eighties. Lyrically, the album deals with acceptence and topics such as dating younger women. Speaking to Gabriel aka the arc-angel. Looking for a face in the galaxy aka God? Broken souls and last heartbeats. His son. Depravity... and various other strange habits. The writing partnership with Matt Bissonette deliver top notch quality from opening track "Wide Awake" to the closer of "My DUI". Well, actually, that's a lie! The final track on the Frontiers European release is also the worst. The only real filler in my opinion.
In fact, the rest of the songs show us an excited musician who never stagnated or became too afraid to deliver catchy fun power pop music. Back from the future, younger than ever? better than never? 60 is the new 18 according to the barking mad aussie doc.
www.rickspringfield.com
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