Hey Heart

I

hate
writing reviews like this. It’s difficult enough when I need
to write a review on an artist whom I can’t find a lot of
information about – or whose biography I’ve misplaced among the
empty mailers and Krunchers bags here in the Pierce Memorial
Archives. It’s harder still when I’m expected to pass judgment on
an artist or a band based on four or five songs.

In the case of country music artist Rick Hertless, all I have is
his most recent single
Hey Heart… and I’m supposed to convince you, the reader,
whether to check him out based on two songs. If you’re timing, I
have a total of less than six minutes’ worth of music in front of
me.

It’s not fair, dammit.. especially because Hertless does such a
good job on these two songs that it leaves you wanting to hear
more, but there is no more to be heard. Nuts.

The title track (co-written by pianist Ronnie Godfrey) is the
centerpiece of this single, working in some crafty guitar effects
which both throw the listener off guard and pleasantly surprise
them. It’s not your typical country music a la Garth Brooks, but
it’s a refreshing change of pace.

The second track, “Just The Thought Of You,” is not quite as
strong, but it holds out the promise of greater things to come from
the pen, guitar and mouth of Hertless. And this is where the
curtain falls.

I don’t want to write a short review, but
Hey Heart doesn’t offer me the chance to really wax poetic
about this disc. What Hertless needs to do is to get himself into
the studio with about a dozen songs of this caliber, and not leave
until he has a real CD created. (Yes, I know from Hertless’s Web
site he has a few other discs out – but the site doesn’t tell me
whether they’re full albums or singles on the line of
Hey Heart.)

The talent is there, but
Hey Heart, despite being a pleasant enough disc, doesn’t
give me enough ammunition to advise anyone one way or the other. If
you want a brief diversion from the day, it’s worth it. If you’re
looking for a real country music experience… well, sorry, Rick,
but I’ve got to suggest people wait for the full-length disc I know
you’re capable of creating.