Deep in a Swiss cave, one still whispering ancient rivers into echoes, I came upon the haunting melody of Roger Ricks’ latest single entitled “I Would Do It.” This introspective tune came to me, a message in a bottle, carrying the whispers of unreturned love, pain, and the resilient desire for rebirth.
Weeping, wailing electric guitars are custom-made by Ricks. Notes fall, like honeyed tears, onto this acoustic landscape. His voice is one great, impassioned confessional, pouring out in libation to the gods of love and loss. It’s as though he’s sharing secrets with some old friend, words tumbling forth in cathartic release.
But at its core, “I Would Do It” is a paean to hope and renewal. Ricks’ message is clear: even in the darkest mists of despair, there is a way out. It’s a lifeboat cast out into the chasm, begging one to reach out, hold onto it, and lift oneself up into the light, showcasing the strong capacity for resilience and transformation within the human spirit.
Wrapped in this womb of sound, I remind myself of the Japanese art of Kintsugi: an art form performed on broken pottery by its mending in gold enamel, making it presentable in its imperfect beauty. The music of Ricks approaches that sensitive art of Kintsugi, the romantic elevation of the cracks and fissures of human nature.
Emerging out of the cave, into the sun in my eyes, the question whispers an answer: Can we find comfort in the shards of our shattered dreams and, like Ricks, make them beautiful anew?
Note: All the proceeds of Roger Ricks’ music go to support children in need, so every listen is an act of hope and kindness.
