Rick Astley Delivers The Fun And The Feels In His Latest Album
Earlier this month, Rick Astley dropped his first album in five years. And it’s got a whole lot of what we didn’t expect. Called ‘Are We There Yet‘, the record…
Earlier this month, Rick Astley dropped his first album in five years. And it's got a whole lot of what we didn't expect.
Called 'Are We There Yet', the record delivers a lot of fun and a lot of feels. There are a few tracks that I dare you not to move your body to. And others that might jerk a tear or two out of your head. There are some country-inspired tunes. And others that are obviously more influenced by R&B. Pretty much a little bit of everything. But what it has a lot of is proof that Rick Astley has still got it.
Released on October 13, the album was inspired by his tour of the United States, Retro Pop Magazine reported. In the interview, Astley told the magazine that performing in the states for the five month tour had "re-tuned [his] ear a little bit". His tour wrapped in July 2o22 and included performances on the Mixtape Tour 2022, with New Kids On The Block, En Vogue and Salt-N-Pepa. He will embark on a tour for the new album in the UK in November 2023.
Even though his soulful voice has always been his trademark, the Never Gonna Give You Up singer is known around most of the world as pop performer. And he saw his pop fame renewed around 2007 when his 1987 hit became the focus of the famed Rick Rolling movement. In total, Astley has released nine studio albums over his 50-year career (allmusic.com).
And this latest album might be Rick Astley's best work yet.
According to his website, this is the third consecutive album that has been completely done in Astley's home studio. The songwriting is strong and the vocals show even more range than we realized Astley had. Some of the songs you wouldn't even realize were Astley. He's just so versatile in what he can do and the way his voice has matured since his 1980's success. Well...it's just gotten better.
The album has 12 tracks. And there's no way we can pick our favorites. But the country-inspired Dippin My Feet and the blues-inspired Never Gonna Stop are definitely on top for us.
1. Dippin My Feet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=91&v=zVRaZlwLyJw&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fretropopmagazine.com%2F&source_ve_path=MzY4NDIsMzY4NDIsMTM5MTE3LDEzOTExNywzNjg0MiwyODY2Ng&feature=emb_logo
Right out of the gate, Astley is making fans move in this song. It's not fully country, but definitely has hints of that. And are we the only ones getting a Rolling Stones' Honky Tonk Woman vibe from that intro?
2. Letting Go
In this one, we hear a bit of a Fleetwood Mac thing going on. Especially with that intro guitar riff. And we love what Astley has done with his back-up singers on this album. This track is definitely going on our next road trip playlist.
3. Golden Hour
Another track that really showcases Astley's soulful vocal quality. This one slows down the tempo and gives us a chance to really connect with the lyrics. It's a potent love song that we can't help but slow dance to.
4. Never Gonna Stop
Wait...what? Is that even Astley singing? This is one of the songs that floored us. How is this sound coming out of the same person that sang Together Forever? We don't know, but this man's vocal versatility knows no limits.
5. Close (Your Shoes)
Continuing with the slow tempo, Astley gets a little more serious with these lyrics. This song is about trying to connect to someone who is closed off. Astley wrote all the songs on this album. And these lyrics show his songwriting talent.
6. High Enough
Astley gets reminiscent in this track. Like he's reflecting on, and maybe even regretting, a time in his life that changed him. And again...we never would have known it was Astley singing.
7. Forever and More
That soulful quality we love in Astley's voice is back in this track. Enhanced by those piano chords he's throwing down. And the backup vocals make it feel like we're part of the crowd.
8. Driving Me Crazy
Astley is doubling up on his instrumentation with the guitar and keys on this track. After he hooks you with the intro, that rich voice comes in to seal the deal. And we're loving that Astley is getting a little sultry in this one. Like he's at the grand piano trying to get the attention of the beautiful woman in the gown across the room. Yep, we dig.
9. Maria Love
Maria Love is one of the tracks on this album bringing the Motown sound to the mix. Enhanced by the prominent horn section and Astley's signature soul sound.
10. Take Me Back to Your Place
From the title alone, we can gather that Astley is getting a little seductive again in this track. And those very deep piano chords hype of the sexy factor. And a little dirty too, inviting the song's subject to tie him to a chair. I'm not blushing, you're blushing.
11. Waterfall
Right away with this track you are connected to the beat. That kick drum and piano chords just draw you in. And we love that the style of this song is different than the others on the album. Astley is delivering truly a bit of everything in this record.
12. Blue Sky
And we're getting Adele vibes from this piano intro. But what we love most is the lower range that Astley displays when he comes in. His range is really impressive, and he shows it off in this album.
