Rhett Repko - About Last Night (2017)

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Written by William Elgin, posted by blog admin

Guitar-toting pop rock maven Rhett Repko saw that the current crop of artists is lacking soul, so armed with a 6-string he presents his debut EP About Last Night.  With a chops-heavy, solid backing band, Repko illustrates his prowess as both a songwriter and a dynamic musicians (that knows his way around a group, as they know their way around him) capable of melding several styles into an intoxicating whole. 

“Were You Ever Really Mine?” is the perfect lead-in; breezy choruses bristling with acoustic guitar collide and careen into rugged rock riffs, shuck n’ jive bass lines and a steady beat on the drums.  Several genres mix together here but, at heart, it’s infectious pop with some serious muscle that boasts mellow acoustic rhythm and fiery lead guitar figures sizzling n’ boiling beneath Repko’s Beatles’-tinged vocal melodies.  Instead of taking the easy way out by presenting a 6-song EP with only one musical flavor, Rhett is constantly shaking things up.  Case in point, “She Loves Me” and its penchant for country/folk acoustics splitting the difference with Texas shuffle rhythms and twang-y southern electric guitar.  There’s more than a few shades of Neil Young to be found and they are pulled off with aplomb. 

Orchestral strings, slow dance clean guitars and downplayed rhythms turn “About Last Night” into a guitar-centered, pop rock masterpiece.  It’s the big, mid-tempo ballad of the album; capable of crossover appeal to become a mainstream smash while contain very well-directed instrumentation.  Nobody on pop radio is playing this which means Repko is filling a monstrous vacancy where guitars and real instruments are a breath of fresh air.  “Inside of Me” sounds like the work of McCartney or Ringo’s contributions to The Beatles, sultry pop aesthetics organically woven into the kind of fun loving beatnik rock that died in ’69.  “On the Run” further takes 60s guitar rock and sparkles it up with glossy vocal hooks and lots of winding lead guitar, leaving the final tune “Bye Bye Baby” to dim the lights in acoustic, breathy vocalized ambience.

Rhett Repko’s debut EP comes across as both fresh and classic all throughout the 6 tracks found therein.  Melody-wise, it’s built for pop radio and each song features more than a few sections that will stick in your head, though the fleet-fingered guitar pyrotechnics give the music an edge that most only dream of possessing.  The only nitpick is that you wish there were even more songs after it finishes playing but that’s what the repeat button’s for!