TAROCK MUSIC

Listening to Rick Shaffer’s solo work is like catching up with old friends who don’t always show up on time, but are always a pleasure to see.  Stacked Deck — his forth solo outing — is no exception.  He originally made his mark during the late ‘70’s with those seminal Philadelphia New Wave ravers, The Reds, whose commercial fortunes ran around during the skinny tie era — but continues as a studio-only proposition, with keyboardist Bruce Cohen riding shotgun.

Stacked Deck is a decidedly different beast, one that freely imbibes from the well of “60’s freakbeat, and the primal hillside scream of blues alchemists like Mississippi Fred McDowell, and Slim Harpo (although I’d put in a vote for Lightnin’ Hopkins, too as well).  Shaffer carries the main musical load — on guitars, bass, harmonica, percussion and leadvocals — with some strategic reinforcement from cohorts like “Boo Boo” Spencer (bass drum, spoons and percussion).

All the trademark elements of Shaffer’s solo efforts are present and correct, from the mantra-like fuzz guitars, throbbing slide guitar fills, and that quirky sing-speak delivery hovering on top of it all.  However, I’d also suggest that beat and groove play a more prominent role that ever before, too, with plenty of tambourines — what are those things? — you can almost hear the Pro Tools-era kids — and extra percussion to keep the whole business barreling along.

These tendencies burst gloriously to the fore on the fuzz guitar-driven, blues-wailin’ rave-ups of I Won’t Deny (“I’ve walked these gilded splinters many times”), Shake And Shudder (“I can’t break this losing streak, please have a little sympathy”), and Talking About You, which Shaffer anchors on a nifty little call-and-response guitar pattern (“I’ve been lying or pretending, the difference gets so hard to tell”).

The ‘60’s freakbeat and garage elements make themselves felt on Reaction — a funky, but ominous plea, essentially, to return from an emotional ice flow (“Oh, yeah, gimme some kind of reaction . . . baby, that you’re still alive / A little sign or some satisfaction could go a long way”), and Wait And See, whose mid-tempo bumptiousness is goosed by a jangling guitar hook that won’t slip out of your frontal earlobes for long (“Life will leave you high and dry, just you wait and see”).

Incidentally, both the aforementioned tracks also highlight the difference of hearing music in your car, versus sitting at home — which is how you’ll pick up on the subtler textures that color their respective fadeouts (for Reaction, a twangy, hard-charging sitar-type part; for Wait And See, handclaps and bits of harmonica, as we reach the finish line).  I was surprised by how many of these little touches revealed themselves on earphones (such as the ghostly “ooh-ooh-ooh” backups that pop up on several tracks, including Cool Treatment.

Of course, Shaffer has always a surprise or two up his sleeve.  That honor goes to Found My Love, which is markedly different among this company of tunes, and the territory he’s explored on previous solo albums.  In this case, we get a shimmery update on the Velvet Underground’s nitty-gritty hot beat manifesto — imagine Sister Ray’s rhythmic pulse with a decent recording, and you get the idea — with missed opportunities, as ever, taking center stage in Shaffer’s mind “(“Don’t let it pass you by / ‘cause it may never come again”).

The album closes on a suitably slow-burning note with Time Or Love — at 4:32, the epic of the litter — on which Shaffer digs downtown again, and deep into the hill country grooves that jump-started his latest musings, laced with two ominous, droning fuzz guitar breaks to drive home his other main theme (“If you ain’t got the struggle / Oh, man, you just ain’t alive”).  Where Shaffer goes next remains to be seen, but it’ll be interesting to watch . . . old friends are funny like that.  As an urban wiseman once said, there’s only three certainties in life: death, taxes and trouble . . . so when you feel them nipping at your heels, reach for this album.

Highlights: I Won’t Deny, Found My Love, Talking About You, Reaction, Wait And See
Lowlights: None, dammit!
Rating: ***** (As good as it gets — you’ll keep coming back to this one.)

• Ralph Heibutzki, Communiques, Chairman Ralph’s Ministry Of Truth, 2013

(Ralph Heibutzki is the author of “Unfinished Business: The Life & Times of Danny Gatton.”  His articles have appeared in Bass Player, DISCoveries, Goldmine, Guitar Player, Vintage Guitar, and he is a regular contributor to the All Music Guide.)

Rick Shaffer’s latest album Stacked Deck is in keeping with the now solo musician and vocalist’s previous offerings.  Still true to the ideologies in Necessary Illusion, Hidden Charms and Idiot Flats, Shaffer has continued to elevate the profile of the garage rock genre that has experienced a revival since the 90s.  Whilst doing so, he remains unlike many artists you get nowadays attempting to infuse uncharacteristic elements in the hope that he reinvents the wheel.  No, Stacked Deck stays away from the too outlandish and the computerized to deliver an authentically 60s downbeat, ‘dirty dive’ record that somehow wouldn’t sound out of place in the modern pop charts.

The album fuses together toothy, abrasive strings with the melodic simplicity of country blues pop.  Saturated in two-step arrangements and lazy composition, Stacked Deck is punchy, raunchy, seductive and melancholically bittersweet all at the same time This amalgamation gives the album a new edge that makes it more relevant to today’s audience and shows how blues and country have progressed through the years rather contrary to the genres’ greatly exaggerated demises.

If you’re not a fan of percussive albums, then stay well away from this one.  Sure Shaffer unleashes his venomous tone all over it, but Stacked Deck clearly insights emotion best through its strains, strikes and shakes.  Let’s be frank: what did you expect from a dedicated garage rock offering anyway?!

This album will also stick in the craw of anyone who can’t appreciate something which includes psychobilly sensibilities; not in the lyrical sense, rather the texture of the songs.  It’s frantically loud from the double basses through to Shaffer’s Jack White-esque vocals that wander irrepressibly as if toneless sometimes.  It’s not that Shaffer can’t sing; there is plenty of method in the madness and it serves the overall tone and style of the album very well.

• Daniel Davidson-Amadi, Music News, United Kingdom, 2013

For his fourth release, Rick Shaffer’s album Stacked Deck includes a little bit of everything, with none of it going to waste.  The gritty, devil-may-care guitar sound surrounds each and every track of this fun and marvelously messy ten song amalgam.  The album was recorded in Detroit and Mississippi, and it truly sounds like it, with the songs offering up plenty of blues-rock heartiness and feel-good rock and roll for every type of six string music lover to sink their teeth into.

The opener is an explosive yet messy little number called I Won’t Deny.  With its core full of energetic, no-destination chord playfulness, the nice and greasy “slide” sound comes right up the middle to set the feel of the album in motion.  Wonderfully slippery and nonchalant, Shaffer was wise to pick this as the first cut. He then follows suit with Ain’t Easy, a party-style tune that highlights Shaffer’s guitar virtuosity while harboring a delicious, down-home, dirty feel; a real scorcher.From there, more of the same creeps in with Shake And Shudder.  Although it brandishes a more “congenial” musical flow, it’s also clean and well balanced instrumentally, but still unkempt enough so as to not stray too far from the album’s bluesy pulse.

Found My Love is Stacked Deck’s firmest piece.  There’s a great bottom bass line that fuels the guitar and vocals throughout, and the song as a whole has a destination and a distinction that seems to hover above all the rest of the cuts.  With a sort of J. Geils Band meets Steve Earle attitude, Found My Love may be the first song on the album that promoters would choose to put on the radio.  Haunting and sporting a kinder, amiable feel is Talking About You, supported by a strong instrumental backdrop via the guitar work, but also by the emotive vocals that comes through as the blood in this tune’s veins.  The harmonica comes to the forefront here as well, adding even more color to the spectrum.  Reaction is much like the other offerings, with its wailing, guitar wavering and moody, Chris Isaac-like musical smirk. Cool Treatment is an amicable growler, built with heavy duty fuzz guitar striations and classic vocal aeronautics all rolled and squeezed together—tasty!

Time Or Love ends the album, a tic-toc, Johnny Winter-ish chunk of slow, steady boot stomp blues-rock.  This one pulls no punches, acting as a fitting finale to the album.  Actually, this is the song that will come on when the lights go up and the bar is ready for last call.

Full of pleasing blues, steady rock, messy blues-rock, and all of the above entwined, Stacked Deck, holds together well all the way through.  Shaffer does a good job of dictating the feel without slipping into boredom.  The tunes are well thought out, and well played.  There’s no pretentiousness, no acrobatics, and no unnecessary theatrics; just a good set of pure rock and blues songs.

4 Stars (out of 5)

• Mike DeGagne, Music Critic, All Music, 2013

Pure unadulterated, no fucks given Rock n’ Roll is what Rick Shaffer is all about with his latest album, Stacked Deck.  It’s a non-stop barrage of riffs, power and old school gritty vocals.  Shaffer stays true to the sound and vibe his fans have come to love, so if you loved his previous work, expect to love this one as well.

The sound of this record is what we’ve come to expect from Rick.  Stripped back, raw and nothing but balls against the wall.  It’s an immensely pure album in a sense that it embodies what Rock music is and should be about, the essence of humanity.  You can feel that there’s only people making music on this record.  Nothing is fake, nothing is digital.  The sound retains its human element and thus, hits you where it matters.

Rick Shaffer is as gritty as they come.  His vocal delivery on this record is superb and shows just how it’s done.  He nails that old school, ‘Howlin’ Wolf’ vocal groove with no trouble at all, giving his music a distinct characteristic.  Shaffer’s instrumental abilities are also second to none.  The guitar work is tight, twangy and plucked with feeling whilst the rhythmic section is solid, meaty and ballsy.

If you dig the tunes of Southern music, Jack White, The Black Keys or Early Rolling Stones, give Rick Shaffer a listen.  His pure stance on Rock n’ Roll will have you movin’ and shakin’ in no time.

• Monolith Sound

For those not familiar, Rick Shaffer has been fuzzing up the airwaves for several years now, both as a solo artist and as founding member of the attic-rock outfit The Reds.  His 4th solo record, Stacked Deck, continues in the tradition of scrappy no nonsense rock from the greasy bluesy confines of the garage and If you weren’t aware that this is a currently released album you’d swear it was recorded in the late 60’s,  it’s just that authentic in its delivery.  Shaffer loves his dirty blues-rock from the gutter and spares no expense at wearing it proudly on his sleeve.  There is rarely a moment when I feel as though I am listening to some half-hearted throw back copy cat.

Songs like Talking About You are undeniably connected to The Rolling Stones at their bluesy best and even Shaffer’s voice carries that signature Jagger yelp and twitter.  One of the raunchiest and best cuts here is Cool Treatment.

Borrowing from the nasty old John Lee Hooker one-note hook songwriting style, Cool Treatment is a deep resonating cut and quite clearly a song NOT to be fucked with.  Pushing Me is a rolling rocker with some truly thick guitar work and a jagged lyrical content that gets me to feeling guilty even having not done anything wrong.

For the most part the guitar is scuzzy and turned up past 10 and the percussion is minimal. In the forefront is Shaffer’s voice and guitar while the harmonica and tambourine keep a steady beat.

If this album were in human form it’d be a much tougher looking Scott Fargus from A Christmas Story, reeking of old booze and worn leather with much worse skin and heavily calloused knuckles from way too many punch-ups in the alley.

This is music that old rockers and tried and true punks would appreciate a lot.  It’s raw, and in your face, yet there is a familiar modern twist that creeps up every now and then, sending off scents of White Stripes, or more obscure acts like Sonny and the Sunsets.  But even so, those guys have always had a thing for the dirty garage and blues acts of old.

Blistering, uncompromising, and a super enjoyable trip through the land of old school rock landscapes, Stacked Deck is definitely stacked to the tits with groovy sounds.

• Nathan Pike, All What’s Rock, 2013

Bringing It All Back Home

Rick Shaffer is a true veteran of the indie rock scene; as lead guitarist for the Philadelphia-based band, The Reds, he released his first single in 1977, and been consistently putting out records ever since.  But like any musician with a large body of work, Shaffer has changed his style many times, testing out new sounds and reaching back towards old influences; his new solo album, “Stacked Deck,” ties it all together.

In their early years, The Reds identified with the New Wave scene, and indeed, their early successes were such that their 1979 album, self-titled “The Reds,” toured with such prominent artists as Blondie, The Police, and the Psychedelic Furs.  Their lack of further recognition today is not for lack of talent; Shaffer’s grinding guitar and keyboardist Bruce Cohen’s are undeniably distinctive.

Despite a lack of lasting recognition, The Reds continued to put out albums under various managers and even produced some movie soundtracks. Their sound vacillated between driving post-punk, ‘80’s appropriate pseudo-electronica, and dark, artistic balladry.  When Shaffer put out his first solo album, Necessary Illusion, he steered his sound towards a far bluesier, sixties-meets-distortion beat.  Rather than seeming out of place, it seemed that this sound had been hidden in their heavy beats of their songs since the beginning, waiting to emerge.  “Stacked Deck” highlights the maturation of this sound; its wide range of influences make it resistant to genres, and this diversity seems to fit Shaffer’s songwriting perfectly.

The album is not without its flaws. A few of the tracks start suddenly, so that one feels as if the beginning was cut off.  The audio is well-balanced, but a little overbearing in the sheer density of sound.  Some songs are stronger than others.  Yet one gets the sense that this is how it is supposed to be; the resulting sound is rough, unfinished and guttural.  It is a quality that most modern performers shun, but which was a cornerstone of the compelling delivery of delta blues musicians, as well as of sixties garage rock, the only genre that comes close to pinning down this music.

The first, “I Won’t Deny,” sees Shaffer channeling his inner 13th Floor Elevators; it has a crunchy bass line, a jangling tambourine beat, and Shaffer’s signature guitar whine, underlying his forcefully smoky vocals.  “Shudder And Shake,” on the other hand, takes a Rolling Stones style approach to the blues.  The one-note pulse that drives this song opens up the floor to searing guitar licks, Delta-esque harmonica moans and a genuine bluesy growl from Shaffer.

Found My Love” perhaps stands alone more than any other track on this album.  It is built on one strong, simple riff, repeated as a refrain in the rhythm guitar and filled out with a full band, back-up vocals, and a tasteful lead guitar solo.  Its lyrics stick with the listener; they are clever, and on hearing them, one starts to relate to the frustration of the singer, even without meaning to do so.  “Cool Treatment” lays down a cool rattle of percussion over a lowdown, grungy guitar line, making for a stormy cloud of sound and the deliverance of some bitter lyrics.  “Time or Love” ends this album on a splendid note; it is a well-made blues ballad, spare and utterly compelling, and its refrain promises the listener that “Time or love is gonna get you.”  Wise words deserve a closer look; if you are in the market for good music, Stacked Deck is certainly worth the cost.

• Zosia Holden, College Underground Radio Magazine, 2013

You can’t keep a good man down, especially if he has got the blues in his soul, and he is fueled by rock ‘n’ roll.  Equally, you cannot doubt his musical credibility for this is the same Rick Shaffer that was part of The Reds back in the day.  Stacked Deck is his fourth solo album, by the way.

Rick Shaffer is no purveyor of easy listening songs dripping in strings and classical piano figures.  No, he just plugs it all in and lets the music take him where it wants to go.  In some ways, that is a bit of a m=limitation in that most every song runs at the same tempo but, as if to compensate, the raw energy of a man possessed shines brightly throughout.  The right angled riffing of Shake And Shudder, for example, might sound more like a turbocharged demo than a finished song, but that won’t stop you playing that air guitar alongside Uncle Rick, and the haunted blues of Pushing Me will have you turning the invisible reverb knob to the max just to duplicate that lonesome groove.

So there you have it. Rick Shaffer continues to walk down his own path with Stacked Deck and you will walk beside him just in case he will let you be in his band.

∎ Bluesbunny, Glascow, United Kingdom, 2013

According to his label’s website, Rick Shaffer released his first album in 1971 with his band Freight Train.  In the late Seventies he was rather busy with The Reds®, who were quite active until the mid-Eighties.  It was only in 2007 and 2009 where they came back with two albums.  Since 2010 Rick Shaffer once again concentrated on his solo career.  There are no signs of fatigue, as since then he has released every year a new album.  Stacked Deck is thus his fourth album since his revived solo comeback.

Not much has changed over the last few years, except that it seems as if he’s refining his craft.  Reading through the liner notes, I understand quickly that I’m too young and/or uninformed to truly understand everything he is doing, but then you don’t have to have a PhD to understand raucous garage delta blues.  I admit that this is usually not my favorite musical genre, but there’s something about Rick Shaffer that just makes it impossible not to enjoy his short but tremendously honest songs.  He is playing most of the instruments himself, although he has a couple of guests who add further bass and drum tracks.  It’s especially the very prominent percussion ensemble that give the songs an authentic vibe.  And let’s face it, percussive spoons have always been something uniquely cool.

While the bass guitar has been left rather in the background, it’s especially the vocals and slide guitar we have to concentrate our energies on.  Shaffer is excellent in both domains.  His guitar playing is very varied, ranging from fuzzy proto punk harshness, to damp bluesy slide extravaganzas.  His vocals match the mood: he is certainly not what most people would consider a gifted singer, but then neither is Lou Reed, and look what an impact he has had on the rock’n’roll circus!  Rick Shaffer knows that less is more, and while a good half hour for ten tracks may seem like a little on the short side, it also guarantees that there are no idle moments.

Blues enthusiasts will have a field day dissecting all the influences of, and nods to, blues giants, but I think I prefer my more naïve approach that lets me seamlessly enjoy Stacked Deck from the punkish opener I Won’t Deny, to the concluding lethargic psycho blues ballad Time Or Love.  The album was recorded in Michigan and Mississippi, and somehow this juxtaposition of garage rock and swamp blues couldn’t have been produced in a more authentic way.  Unaware listeners might even mistake this for something obscure straight out of the Sixties.  While I have enjoyed all of Rick Shaffer’s previous efforts, I dare say that Stacked Deck sees this artist at his peak.

• Pascal Thiel, DisAgreement, Luxembourg, 2013

It seems like it is becoming a yearly occurrence for me to review Rick Shaffer’s latest album.  In fact, it is pretty much twelve months to the day that I reviewed his third album, Idiot Flats.  Shaffer’s latest is entitled Stacked Deck, and it picks up right where Flats left off.

Rick continues on with his fuzz filled, blues rock sound.  He has referred to this style as “sonic minimalist,” and when you hear him it certainly makes sense.  The songs have a classic garage vibe to them and won’t overwhelm in attempts to be complicated.

Found My Love is a prime example of this “sonic minimalist” idea.  If you take away the effects and the tambourine you could easily imagine someone singing it to you in your living room.

While I do enjoy reviewing albums by artists that I have before, it can be a blessing and a curse.  If I look at Stacked Deck from the perspective of someone that has never heard Rick Shaffer before, I would definitely recommend you give it a listen.  It’s got a cool sound that combines the Rolling Stones at their bluesiest (Talking About You) and gives it a more modern, fuzzy kick.  On the other hand, some of us have heard Shaffer’s previous work and are already familiar and wondering what’s new.  To you I say, give it a few listens.  At first it may sound too similar to some of Shaffer’s previous efforts, but it will grow on you.  The slide guitar and harmonica play more of a role this time around and I feel it’s heavier on the blues side than rock (Time or Love).  I prefer Shaffer’s vocals more on these tracks and would like to see his future releases go further down this route.  Still, with Stacked Deck Rick Shaffer continues to pump out strong garage rock albums.

Key Tracks: Found My Love, Talking About You, Time or Love

• Kevin Kozel, Muzik Reviews