Billy Roberts and the Rough Riders: Go By Myself
Billy Roberts and the Rough Riders
Go By Myself
(self-released)
Billy Roberts and the Rough Ridersâ new album, Go By Myself, opens with âBeat Down and Broken,â a slicing, big, layered tune with Billy Andersonâs piano mainly driving the whole, slightly spooky mess. Itâs glorious really, a great driving opener betraying Robertsâ desperation, but we then get into the big shunk beat and organ bleed of âDrivingâ with a sax up front. Anderson and Alex Quinnâs slide get us into the Lou Reed-like âFrom the Ashesâ as does harmonica and Quinn move us through âHard Times.â I like how we get a doubled vocal here from Robertsâ talking. Itâs a good heavy strut of a tune. âKaylaâ is a sweet ballad of acoustic guitar and Andersonâs piano held back by a studied, simple, rim shot click from drummer Ed Glass. Thereâs a lot of metered melancholy coming at us here, a very mature character study that stays its course into a singable chorus. I even like the slight miss on the rhyming. âGoodbye Old Friendâ is another ballad, but decidedly sadder, with a shuttering guitar that almost fails at times and (yes, say aloud with me) Billy Andersonâs superb light touch. I love how this one halts and almost breaks apart. âWho Do You Think You Areâ again features those big, slicing guitars, Robertsâ teasing vocal and Glass at his most flicking drumming; a good rock/punk tune.