Melissa Manchester - Hey Ricky


You're gonna love this one. Turns out my brain confused Melissa Manchester for Martha Davis. In my defense, the title of the album puts that damned Toni Basil song on repeat (hey Ricky what a pity you're a low down heel, [clap clap] hey Ricky!), and i'm a self-proclaimed idiot who pleads no contest and accepts my punishment of listening to whatever this Adult-Contemporary Blue-Eyed R&B album turns out to be. I'm hoping this Ricky guy turns out to be a dirt bag, but que sera sriracha (it's ridiculous how much i enjoy that joke). 

Why does You Should Hear How She Talks About You remind me of Material Girl? "You're a minus zero on the scale of me." Not gonna lie, that's pretty stellar. It has an undeniable Pointer Sisters energy, and an actual sense of humor. Weird shift to none of that for I'll Always Love You, but who am i to say she can't hate him one moment then love him after he leaves? 

Vangelis just not even the least bit hesitant to let them use Chariots of Fire, is he? That's not me being snarky, they write it in the liner notes. Actually, i doubt Vangelis even knew about it, like Warner's gonna sneer at Sony voluntarily handing them royalties. A bit pretentious to close out the side with a "vocal adaptation of the main theme of the film Chariots Of Fire" called Race To The End, but my "how far do you think we'll make it? All the way to the scene of the crash" joke belies how downright enjoyable it was. Plus, his Blade Runner Soundtrack just wouldn't work in this context. What's side b got for us? 

Alright, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of sappy soft ballads to end up in some smoky sultry night club, the lady can sing. I know you expect me to be all "Pat could whoop Melissa before breakfast," but as long as the songs aren't dumb or interpreted weird i got no problem with Adult-Contemporary R&B. Side A was humorous, Side B is much more Jazz Standards, albeit light ones with a twist of 80s Pop. I'm not always in the mood for it, but when i am it's delightful. 

The album loses points for losing the concept a couple times, but it's not a competition so who cares? If it were a contest this would probably win the Everything About This Thing Reminds Me of Things from Other Things award, no question, so i guess what we should learn from this is that sometimes a case of mistaken identity can turn out pretty enjoyable for everyone. She certainly isn't shy, there's nothing here to make fun of (except for that Chariots of Fire thing), all around a superb if slightly strange listen for the someone watching over myself.

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