It’s been a busy year for Evan Michael, AKA Riff Rockit. In addition to his LP Luz Verde Vamos!, which was sung entirely in Spanish and intended to inspire the Latin community, he’s also released If I Could Fly. Both albums are geared toward the little ears and proceeds from both albums will be donated to Be The Match, an organization seeking to find cures for blood cancers, as Riff Rockit himself is a leukemia survivor.
Rockit learned how to play guitar at a young age and it shows; the guitar work here is well done, as he channels all your favorite ’80s and ’90s rock bands. Musically, it’s reminiscent of bands like Van Halen, Def Leppard or even Tom Petty. Lyrically, it’s all about the kids, with tales of felines, the beach, food groups and washing your hands. He even pens a song about his bone marrow donor, appropriate titled “Hero.”
Though he starts it off with “New Shoes,” which sounds right off the hard rock station in 1985 with a bit of hair metal influence, the second song, “Backyard” has that quirky ’80s synth and vocal effects you can’t resist enjoying. In the middle, the anthemic “Food Groups” educates while inviting you to sing-a-long, and the volume and pace is trimmed back on the acoustic led “The Beach Song.” Near the end, the piano heavy “Rainy Day” sounds ideal for a rainy day, and the thumping “The Birthday Song” is probably the most overtly kids tune here, starting out with kids yelling before guitar solos enter while Rockit sings about the ideal birthday.
Having been turned onto ‘kindie-rock’ recently, I have found that there is a few artists that really shine in this often overlooked genre and and Riff Rockit is at the top of that list. Rockit is a songwriter who is extremely talented at his craft and is using it to help worthy causes and provide inspiration to others. Anyone with an ear toward guitar-driven rock from the past few decades will find something to smile about here.
