FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!

MICK’S QUICKS
►Veteran sideman, wonderful singer-songwriter, pianist and accordion player Richie Lawrence releases his fourth solo album, Moving at the Speed of Trees (Big Book Records, BBR20); with the sensuous voice of his wife Katie Thomas taking the lead and harmonising, this is blues-roots Americana of at least 50 degrees proof. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, moved to Colorado and emigrated to Los Angeles, Richie is now in Sacramento, California; his super-intelligent music re-echoes and resounds, including such highlights as the opening storyteller ‘On the Boat’, the pedal steel whine of ‘Oh Me Oh My’, the lonely solitude of ‘Lone Freighter’s Wail’ and the exquisite grace of ‘The Wonderful Waltz’ – in fact, all 12 tracks are guaranteed sure-fire winners. FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!

Folkwales On-line Magazine / Micks Quicks / January 2025