Album review: FRANCIS ROSSI & HANNAH RICKARD – We Talk Too Much

earMUSIC [Release date 15.03.19]

With 50+ years in rock ‘n’ roll behind him, Francis Rossi shows no sign of slowing down, with an album, a book, and a tour in 2019.

Looking for a sparring partner to explore his soft spot for Country and Americana, Rossi has paired up with Aquostic backing singer Hannah Rickard who provides vocals, acoustic, fiddle and violin – for a set that in essence takes the Aquostic format and steers it down mildly rootsier backroads, with writing credits shared between Rossi and Rickard, as well as between Rossi and Quo stalwart Bob Young.

Alongside the project Rossi has a Mick Wall-written, similarly titled, biography I Speak To0 Much being published, promoted by a 36-date unscripted interactive spoken word tour exploring his illustrious career.

And as if that wasn’t a busy enough schedule, he’s also found time to makes a cameo appearance on Bonnie Tyler’s new album – duetting on another Rossi / Young co-write.

But as for We Talk Too Much, don’t expect anything too much by way of modern day ‘Americana’. Rossi’s love of Country stems back to an era when folk was folk, country was country, and the term Americana hadn’t been invented.

And, in fact, We Talk Too Much isn’t a really a Country album, it’s where the Aquostic formula would almost certainly have evolved to, had Parfitt remained among us. So you’ve got the same trademark Quo vocal and boogie style. All that’s really changed is that Rickard has jumped into the co-driver seat.

It won’t be to everyone’s taste, although frankly the irrepressible Quo ‘feel good’ factor that lives on in We Talk Too Much is hard to resist. Diehard Quo fans, including several co-reviewers, bought into the toned down Aquostic format in a big way. For those that did, We Talk Too Much is a no brainer. ****

Review by Pete Whalley

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