By Jim Barber
Rick Hughes has carved a remarkably numerous, dynamic and eventful profession as a vocalist/frontman/songwriter over the previous 45 years.
The native of Canada’s La Belle Province, aka Quebec, finest often called the lead singer for pioneering Canadian basic metallic band Sword, in addition to stint with worldwide exhausting rockers, Saints and Sinners, has developed a glowing fame for his highly effective and emotive vocals and his demonstrative and totally participating stage presence, However there was an itch he needed to scratch – Hughes all the time needed to launch an album that was a pure, effusive and celebratory love letter to his ardour for music. And he needed it to be a shared celebration, one the place he set to work with and alongside each friends and heroes to make a report that’s as splendidly melodic as it’s memorable.
And he’s succeeded. With the latest launched of Redemption, Hughes, who has strut and strode throughout levels all through North America, Europe and the Far East, sharing these levels and venues on excursions with the likes of Metallica, Motorhead, Alice Cooper and Black Label Society, this can be a joyous, considerate, impressed assortment of songs that deftly toes the road between timelessness and resonant trendy relevance.
“It’s been not less than two years within the making. My supervisor and I began to search for songs about two years in the past. I’m a songwriter at coronary heart, and I really like writing songs. However this time round, I needed to sing songs that I felt I used to be not able to or capable of write. I needed to rejoice someone else’s craft, different than simply mine. A whole lot of artists and performers select to go that path, as a result of generally it’s exhausting to suppose outdoors the field for your self. Like, I’m sitting right here in my music room. I’ll choose up a guitar and if I begin to write songs, it’s normally going to be a ballad as a result of I’m alone right here with my acoustic guitar. It’s exhausting to get one other vibe; it’s exhausting to get into that tough rock headspace generally. However for some guys, it’s their career. They be sure that a rock track is nice, and it’s acquired pop vibes and it’s exhausting and heavy, and it’s all the pieces suddenly,” he mentioned.
“I needed to do that album in order that I can journey the world and be on totally different levels. I’m a stay performer. I’ve been a stay performer for greater than 40 years, with Sword, with Saints and Sinners. I did loads of work right here in Quebec as a employed gun too, as a vocalist. I labored with many, many individuals, and on many TV exhibits. That introduced the bread and butter for me for a couple of of years, however I by no means actually stored writing songs and releasing albums. If you requested me earlier if this was my first solo report. No, it’s not. And I considered it as a result of I launched an album in 2006 simply right here in Quebec [Tiens Ma Main]. And I used to be nominated for the Felix Award [Quebec’s equivalent of the Junos] for Greatest Rock album of the Yr. I assume what I’m attempting to say is that I’ve had a protracted profession however I would like it to be even longer. I don’t need it do cease, I need to proceed till my final breath.
“And it was additionally necessary to do a full album too. As a result of that’s what artists do. Simply take into consideration the painters again within the Renaissance, these guys had been poor, poor, poor however they stored portray and promoting their work for peanuts. Now they’re price thousands and thousands as a result of the inspiration was there. It was concerning the inspiration. That’s why I created this album as a result of the inspiration for this album was there and it was robust. I needed to do one thing totally different, one thing massive, one thing that I’d by no means executed earlier than.”
So as to add much more heavyweight musical luster to the album, Redemption was produced by John Webster, the well-respected collaborative pressure finest identified for his work with Aerosmith, Motley Crue and AC/DC.
“When my supervisor and I had been beginning to discuss this new challenge, and John Webster’s title got here up. I mentioned it could be finest for the album if we might get John Webster on board and my supervisor mentioned he was a buddy. So, I owe it to my supervisor Pierre Paradis [Sword’s original manager, former Saints and Sinners Manager and Hughes’ personal manager] as a result of in my guide, John Webster is one of the best producer I’ve ever labored for in my complete life,” Hughes mentioned effusively.
“John was so into high quality management that it acquired me doing totally different songs that I won’t consider. And it began earlier than we even acquired into the studio. I stored feeding him songs and songs and songs that I believed we must always report and he stored saying, no, no, no, no, no. And, you already know, I’ve been round. I’ve been on this enterprise a very long time and all through my life I’ve discovered to not take issues personally, however generally it was exhausting. However then once more, that’s why you rent a man like John. That high quality management is the utmost necessary factor about your artwork, to be sure that it’s excellent, and it’s true to who you’re.”
A big portion of the album was recorded at HippoSonic Studio in Vancouver B.C. Initially based in 1989, in 2017 the studio moved from its unique location to 201 West Seventh Avenue in Vancouver – previously the house of probably the most well-known studios in rock music legend and lore, Little Mountain Sound. That studio was primarily the house studio for legendary producers Bruce Fairbairn and Bob Rock, and earlier than the power closed in 1993, noticed among the most necessary bands heading out west to report among the most profitable and important albums in rock music. The roster is a veritable if not literal who’s who of iconic bands and artists together with AC/DC. Aerosmith, Metallica, Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi, The Cult and Motley Crue.
“Nothing has modified. They stored all of the framed albums and issues on the wall. I noticed photos of Bon Jovi within the studio and I requested the query if they’d modified it. They mentioned no, it’s all there. It’s the way in which it’s all the time been. They haven’t modified a factor, simply the homeowners and the title. I’m a really curious particular person and naturally an enormous fan of these bands, so I simply stored asking folks questions. They instructed me tales concerning the studio and what occurred with Aerosmith and Motley Crue and this and that. I used to be like a child in a sweet retailer. But additionally, I’ve been doing this lengthy sufficient that I didn’t let myself get distracted by the historical past. As a substitute, I let it encourage me and assist me focus. I’m a really targeted man and all the time have been. Once I went out to Vancouver to report, they hoped that for this primary journey I’d nail vocals on 5 – 6 songs. However I went there and I recorded my elements for all of the songs in a single shot. It took me 5 days. And whereas I used to be there, we needed to resolve to select yet one more track as a result of we had been one brief. I used to be already there once we selected the final track, so I discovered it, and I recorded it. So, I did all ten songs in a single stretch though I used to be alleged to do it in two or three stretches. However no, I used to be targeted.”
Redemption got here out Friday, Oct. 24 worldwide in each bodily (vinyl and CD) and digital codecs via Deko Leisure.
To launch the promotion for the album, on Sept. 5, Hughes launched a music video and single for his incendiary cowl of The Who basic track of revelation and self-empowerment, ‘The Actual Me’ from their 1974 basic rock opera, Quadrophenia. The model offered is great in its personal proper, sonically and energy-wise, with superlative taking part in and Hughes’ skillful and highly effective vocal interpretation, which is each homage to unique singer Roger Daltry, but additionally a declaratory assertion that he can also rise to the heights of vocal explosiveness.
However what makes this model, particularly the video, so important, one might virtually say ‘historic’ is the people backing Hughes. What we’ve got, heavy metallic followers, is a reunion of the Converse of the Satan period band of the just lately, and dearly departed Ozzy Osborne: Rudy Sarzo on bass, Tommy Aldridge behind the equipment and Brad Gillis shredding on guitar.
Converse of the Satan, launched in late 1982, was a stay album which featured solely songs from Ozzy’s Black Sabbath repertoire, coming whereas he and the members of his Blizzard of Ozz band had been nonetheless in deep mourning after the sudden, catastrophically tragic dying of genius guitarist Randy Rhoads in a airplane crash earlier that 12 months.
“You realize that track ‘The Unimaginable Dream’ from the musical Don Quixote, what occurred was not even an inconceivable dream, as a result of I by no means even dreamt that this might have occurred. It was pure luck. It began with the concept of getting outdoors writers for the albums. Once I instructed my supervisor that, he mentioned, ‘let’s ask Jesse.’ Jesse Bradman was the keyboard participant in Saints and Sinners. He lives out in San Francisco and he’s a detailed buddy of Brad Gillis of Night time Ranger. So, Jesse despatched us a few songs that he wrote with Brad Gillis and likewise David Sykes, who was once with Boston for some time too. We picked a few these songs, and John favored them, so we began to work on them. After which we had the concept to ask Brad to be the guitar participant on the songs he co-wrote. And he mentioned sure. So, when it was time to do ‘The Actual Me’ we mentioned, effectively, we’ve got Brad Gillis, let’s ask him if he needs to do ‘The Actual Me’ and have some main gamers with him, as a result of that is such an enormous track. We want some massive names, some heavy hitters for this one, so he was the one who steered Tommy and Rudy. We thought it was an amazing thought. However, once more, the inconceivable dream,” he mentioned.
“When Converse of the Satan got here out, I used to be a type of massive, massive, massive Ozzy followers. Diary of a Madman, Blizzard of Oz, Randy Rhoads, all that stuff. So, when Randy died everyone was like, ‘what the hell. What’s going to occur? Who’s going to interchange him.’ So, when Converse of the Satan got here out all of us put the needle on the report and went, ‘wow! What a tone. Who’s that? Brad Gillis? The guitar participant for Night time Ranger?’ Wow what a participant. Quick ahead to right now and these guys are all like 10 years older than me, so after I was 15 they had been 25. I’d go to the Montreal Discussion board and see these guys play on stage. And after I was 25 I used to be onstage taking part in with Metallica. So, the wheel retains turning and it retains turning and it feeds itself. It brings us again to why some artists nonetheless report albums whereas others want to not. Let me be very, very honest. It’s not all the time concerning the cash. Some folks will say, ‘what’s using doing albums. We don’t earn money anymore.’ Effectively, It’s not concerning the cash. It’s not for me. Look, I’ve a home. My children are grown and so they’re out of the home. I’m fortunately married. I don’t know tips on how to clarify it aside from that is what I do. I do it for the love of music, for the enjoyment of writing and recording, and particularly so I can hold taking part in exhibits and travelling everywhere in the world. I feel folks get depressing in life as a result of all the pieces’s about cash to them. No, it doesn’t have to be. When is sufficient, sufficient.”
Whereas the main focus of the previous couple of paragraphs has been on the star-studded lineup that appeared on ‘The Actual Me,’ Hughes talked about why he and Webster selected to report that track within the first place, a track that has truly be coated a couple of instances by acts comparable to WASP, Pearl Jam and Phish.
“The Who’re a part of my main influences as a rock singer. I sang loads of Who songs all through my profession as a canopy artist, as a performer. Roger Daltry is a legend and an actual inspiration to me. That track was one I all the time needed to do, and with an album known as Redemption it was one of the best place to place it, to do it lastly. And I selected that track not realizing it could be the Converse of the Satan lineup that will be taking part in the track with me. We selected the track approach again, approach again. The video was shot final 12 months and we had been alleged to launch it earlier. However once we heard about Ozzy’s well being and all the pieces, we determined to attend out of respect. When Ozzy died, we had been alleged to launch it that very same week, however we mentioned no, let’s not try this. Let the followers mourn. Let Ozzy relaxation in peace, after which we’ll launch it. However the video has been within the can for nearly a 12 months. And I do know folks have performed and recorded that track quite a bit. It’s a very good track, with loads of that means. Anyone that’s skilled that performs that track as a canopy goes to sound good as a result of it’s so effectively written. I imply, there’s a particular half for the bass, there’s an element to showcase the drums, there’s an element for the guitars and there are these nice vocals proper within the center. It’s only a nice track. Pete Townsend is such an excellent songwriter.”
One of the evocative and important songs on Redemption is ‘Dans La Peau,’ which was initially written for French (as in France!!) music and cultural icon Johnny Hallyday as a duet along with his oft collaborator Amy Keys. Hallyday died in 2017 at age 74, so the track by no means acquired recorded by him, however was in essence gifted to Hughes, who occurs to be one among Hallyday’s greatest admirers. Oh, and the transportive, ethereal, jangly guitar intro simply occurred to be recorded by Robby Kreiger … co-founder and guitar participant for The Doorways.
“Johnny Hallyday is the French Elvis Presley. He’s the most important, greatest star they ever had in France, and likewise in Quebec. Not solely is he one among my idols as a child, I’d look as much as him as a singer as a result of, like I mentioned earlier, I’m a performer. I really like doing the studio work. I like to sing in studio so I can work on my voice and ensure all the pieces sounds excellent. However to me, it’s all concerning the stage. That’s the place I used to be born to be blissful – on a stage. Effectively, this man had one of the best presence you’ll be able to think about on stage. Go take a look at movies from Johnny Hallyday when he was doing stadium excursions. He’s bigger than life and his voice is so massive. I all the time needed to do one among his songs,” Hughes mentioned, explaining how the recording for ‘Dans La Peau’ got here to be.
“Once more, it was pure luck. The man who wrote the track ‘Dans La Peau’ on the album is Gerry Stober, a wonderful songwriter who was born in Montreal however lives in Los Angeles. And he labored quite a bit with Johnny Hallyday as a result of Johnny additionally lived in L.A. So, he was working with Amy Keys, who was a back-up singer for Johnny Hallyday for all his excursions. When he would do duets on tour, she would come as much as the entrance of the stage and he would sing with Amy. At one level Jerry mentioned to me, ‘I acquired a track that was proposed for Johnny and Amy and so they had been set to do it. However Johnny acquired sick, so the track acquired placed on a shelf. In the event you’re , you possibly can have it.’ I heard the track and instantly mentioned sure, however I additionally requested if it was attainable to have Amy report it with me, as a result of on the demo, it was Amy Keys singing with one other man. And Gerry made it occur.
“However hearken to this. So, the album was recorded in Vancouver, however some classes had been executed in Los Angeles. When it was time to report Amy, someone mentioned I ought to go to Robby Krieger’s studio [Love Street Sound] to do the recording of Amy. I mentioned, ‘Robby Krieger’s studio!?!’ I mentioned, come on man, he’s one among my idols. In fact we’ve got to go there. That’s how we acquired him on the track too. Pure luck, my buddy. We booked a recording session along with his folks, so when Amy was doing her half, I mentioned to my supervisor, ‘let’s attempt to speak to Robby’s supervisor and have him play on the track whereas we’re there. It’d be superb.’ It took a little bit of time, a little bit of negotiation, as a result of he’s a busy man. He’s a legend and I assume he doesn’t settle for all the pieces proper on the spot. It takes some time. Once I heard that it was an enormous sure, I used to be thanking my fortunate star as a result of, I imply, what are the percentages?”
Having songs like ‘Will of the Gun,’ which discuss necessary points and mindsets prevalent in trendy society and tradition is necessary, as music is a gateway into consciousness elevating for many individuals, particularly the youth. Songs about actual life, actual love, misplaced love and heartbreak are additionally necessary as these are on a regular basis experiences felt by folks world wide. It’s why music is taken into account to be a tonic for robust instances, and a strong therapeutic software for thus many. Which is why Redemption has a dynamic vary of compelling songs on its observe itemizing.
“It’s true that music brings folks collectively, but it surely additionally helps you being alone. Generally if you’re alone and your ideas go on the market, they’re in all places. You placed on a report and also you come again to your self as a result of it’s your music, it’s the music you selected, that you simply love. It’s your vibe proper now within the second. So, it does each: it unites and it invitations you to be calm with your self. That’s what I really like about rock music. In the event you take Led Zeppelin I after which In By way of the Out Door, it’s like two totally different bands. One is heavy blues and the opposite one is world music. And it between, it’s all totally different – each album is sounding totally different, you already know,” he mentioned, warming to the topic.
“And the identical goes for The Beatles. ‘I Wish to Maintain Your Hand,’ ‘I Noticed Her Standing There,’ – they began like that and ended with ‘Let It Be.’ In the event you take time to learn the lyrics to ‘Let It Be,’ Paul McCartney was 26 years previous when he wrote that. Think about being so mature at such a younger age, but additionally take a look at how he grew as an artist in simply 5 – 6 years. It’s unimaginable. Music is necessary. It’s there for a motive, and it’s there for the correct motive. Once I get up within the morning and I’m going round and run some errands, I’m going to hearken to Elton John, Johnny Money, you already know, mellow music, however significant. After which later within the afternoon, let’s placed on some AC/DC after which after I go to the health club, there’s good exercise music. And there’s a lot that makes up rock music too. It’s so numerous. You’ve acquired blues, heavy blues, rock, exhausting rock, ballads, up-tempo songs, nation rock. It’s all rock music. And that’s what I attempted to discover with this album, to be sure that every track had a style of one thing totally different. As an example, the track ‘Shake My Soul.’ This can be a exhausting rock track, but it surely’s actually the one exhausting rock track on the album. So, you can not say that my album is difficult rock. It’s not. There’s a tough rock track, there’s a pop rock track, there’s a blues rock track. That’s what I like about rock music.”
‘Sometime’ began off as an unique composition from a few years in the past, a heartfelt meditation on loss, grief and mourning, which was given some magic musical pixie mud alongside the way in which by fellow Quebecois artist Aldo Nova, and Nova’s pal from New Jersey, Jon Bon Jovi. Nova recorded it for his 1991 album, Blood on the Bricks, whereas Hughes’ model goes again to extra of its unique tonal intent.
“I used to be working with Aldo Nova after I was with Saints and Sinners. He had written some very, excellent songs for me and a few ballads and different good things. On the similar time, he was working with Bon Jovi on his personal album, Blood on the Bricks, and he felt he was lacking a track. However I didn’t know that. One night time once we had been within the studio, I confirmed him that track. I picked up a guitar and I performed part of ‘Sometime’ and he mentioned he beloved it. I instructed him we had been going to place it on the Saints and Sinners album we had been engaged on. He mentioned, ‘higher than that, Rick. In the event you enable me, I’ll put it on my album which is produced by Jon and it’s going to develop into a success. I swear to you, it’s going to, when you belief me with it.’ I mentioned, okay,” he mentioned.
“Quick ahead a few months and I acquired a name from them. They had been within the studio doing the track and mentioned they’d modified some elements and a few lyrics. So, I break up the songwriting credit score with Aldo Nova and Jon Bon Jovi and it did develop into a success {high 50 in Canada] when Aldo acquired it out out there within the early Nineteen Nineties. Once I wrote it initially, I used to be pondering quite a bit about my father that I misplaced after I was only a child, as a result of my first youngster had simply been born. It’s a type of instances the place a track means precisely what you suppose. It paints an image of your emotions and feelings. It’s a track about shedding someone, however gaining one thing too. Which, you already know, generally in life you simply have to attend. You suppose you’ve misplaced one thing, however then one thing’s going to return alongside to equalize that loss – stability issues. However it’s a track that I feel everyone could make their very own tales for.”
Sword can also be nonetheless a going concern for Hughes, with the band taking part in a couple of exhibits in Quebec, together with one which occurred on Oct. 18 in Montreal. The band bolted out of the gate within the early Eighties, inflicting a preferred stir with their 1986 debut album, Metalized and it’s 1988 comply with up, Candy Goals. In that brief, however epic, span of time, Sword opened exhibits internationally for Motorhead and Alice Cooper, in addition to on Metallica’s breakthrough Grasp of Puppets tour. A 3rd album was launched in 2022, after Hughes introduced Sword out of mothballs in 2011. Once more, the aim of holding the Sword title and band related isn’t merely for monetary issues, however to present him extra possibilities to do what he likes to do in life greater than the rest – sing on stage.
“The icing on the cake for all the pieces is the group. The group makes all the pieces worthwhile. If it’s 50 folks, I don’t care. They paid for his or her ticket, they’re there so I’m going to present them 100 per cent. If there’s 50 or if there’s 2,000, for me, it’s the identical,” he mentioned.
“I’m a stay performer. I’ve been doing between 50 to 100 exhibits a 12 months for the previous 20 years. I’ll play this album and the songs from this album in all places they need me. And if they need me to do my cowl band factor, I’ll try this, and if they need me to do Sword I’ll try this. However not on the identical present. If I do exhibits with Sword, then I simply do Sword. If I’m with my solo band, I don’t do any Sword. And in order that’s the explanation for this album, so I can tour with my band, and play the music I really like, and have one thing new to carry to folks.”
For extra info on Hughes, Redemption and future touring plans, go to https://www.rickhughes.co.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and writer primarily based in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, who has been writing about music and musicians for greater than 30 years. Apart from his journalistic endeavors, he works as a communications and advertising and marketing specialist and is an avid volunteer in his neighborhood. Contact him at bigjim1428@hotmail.com.
