I was a latecomer to The Phantom Band’s fan party, it is therefore perfect timing that the band’s frontman, Rick Redbeard, is about to release his solo effort ‘No Selfish Heart’.

I am getting to that stage in my listening life that I find acoustic musicians really have to produce something pretty special to engage me and hold me by the ears.

Rick Redbeard is effortless. ‘No Selfish Heart’ from start to finish meanders through your senses with its endearing charm.

‘Any Way I Can’ is my album highlight. Redbeard expresses so eloquently the complexities of human emotion and delivers this in a powerfully cathartic way. The melodic hooks provided by his vocal alone on this track are enough to tempt anyone.

Redbeard’s vocal then almost mimics Neil Young on ‘We All Float’ and as a fan of keeping things simple when it comes to a piano accompaniment, this is performed perfectly.

The amount of work that has gone into this album is astonishing, from the song-weaving right through to the production, it is something that any musician would be extremely proud of. ‘A Selfish Heart’ is not your average album and has accomplished the goal of telling his fascinating story from start to finish.

‘A Selfish Heart’ stands as one of the best arguments in classic songwriting archives as an example that acoustic music still can be one of the most illuminating genres around. Rick Redbeard also provides an uncommon portrait of maturing genius.

Halina Rifai

‘A Selfish Heart’ is out January 28th on Chemikal Underground Records