Ricky Ross has announced a new solo album 'Short Stories Vol.1' due September 15th via earMUSIC. Fresh from the success of the most recent Deacon Blue album 'Believers' and an extensive tour to support the album, which was immortalised on the 'Live at the Glasgow Barrowlands' DVD (The London show from the tour RGM reviewed here). Ricky will again be hitting the road for a string of European dates. More about the album and those tour dates follow:

Ricky Ross, lead singer, songwriter and founder of multimillion album selling group Deacon Blue follows the release of 2016’s “Believers”, the band’s most successful studio album in 23 years and “Live at The Glasgow Barrowlands” - the recently released UK Number 1 Music DVD - with a solo album and European tour, “Short Stories Vol.1”. Album to be released on CD, vinyl and digitally on September 15th, 2017 on earMUSIC.

The album was recorded over two days at Chameleon Studios in Hamburg with strings and choir added at Chem 19 in Blantyre, where Deacon Blue have recorded their last 3 records. It finds Ricky Ross playing brand new songs, revisiting well-known Deacon Blue tracks and other less familiar songs from throughout his career as one of Britain’s best loved songwriters. “For me the song is the greatest art-form; it’s a natural expression, everything for me comes from the song. It’s a luxury and a privilege to go back to some of these songs and explore them again years later with a greater weight of life experience”.

It was performing Goin' Back with a group of friends in Glasgow this year that kickstarted the album. Ricky had a few songs looking for a home and those led to him writing new songs to sit alongside Deacon Blue classic’s Raintown and Wages Day. The result is a very personal record, intimately presented and this will be followed through on his extensive tour in the Autumn, which will see Ricky playing songs from throughout his 30 years of songwriting, and telling stories about his influences and experiences.

“Volume 1 is subtitled Homeless Songs because there’s a sense of that story in songs like The Kid at The Airport, A Gordon For Me and Only God and Dogs. However, the record is also a gathering place for songs which have never found the right time and place for a release so far. When I came to re-record some of the older songs for the album it was essential to capture the essence of what the song was when it was first written. I had been enjoying writing on the piano again, and many of the songs came from burst of creative energy at the start of the year.”

An exclusive, limited edition, numbered 7" vinyl containing a new recording of the Deacon Blue classic ‘Raintown’ recorded with a beautiful backing choir, along with a brand-new track ‘The Soldier’s Song’ (both unavailable elsewhere) can be purchased from https://rickyross.tmstor.es/.

“This album is like a souvenir of my solo shows, which are a very different beast to Deacon Blue live. They’re intimate, minimal, a chance for me to revisit songs that started out life with just piano and vocals and take them back to their roots, as well as play some new songs inspired by recent times. When performing in this way there are less musical options, it’s more personal and when it goes well you can really feel the connection. That’s what “Short Stories Vol.1 is all about”

— Ricky Ross

UK / EUROPEAN TOUR DATES

Short Stories Vol. 1 – Tour dates

04.11.2017    Utrecht, Club Nine (NL)
05.11.2017    Berlin, Passionskirche (GER)
07.11.2017    Hamburg, Imperial Theater (GER)
09.11.2017    Cheltenham, Pittville Pump Room (UK)
10.11.2017    Bristol, St George’s Hall (UK)
12.11.2017    Yeovil, Westlands (UK)
14.11.2017    Dundee, Gardyne Theatre (UK)
15.11.2017    Aberdeen, Tivoli (UK)
16.11.2017    Edinburgh, The Queens Hall (UK)
18.11.2017    Dunfermline, Carnegie Hall (UK)
19.11.2017    Glasgow, St Luke’s (UK)
20.11.2017    Glasgow, St Luke’s (UK)
24.11.2017    Billericay, Emmanuel Church (UK)
25.11.2017    Milton Keynes, The Stables (UK)
26.11.2017    Gateshead, The Sage (UK)
28.11.2017    Sheffield, Memorial Hall (UK)
29.11.2017    London, Cadogan Hall (UK)
01.12.2017    Liverpool, Capstone Theatre (UK)
02.12.2017    Buxton, Pavilion Arts Centre (UK)
05.12.2017    Dublin, Sugar Club (IRL)
06.12.2017    Kilkenny, The Set (IRL)
07.12.2017    Belfast, Empire Music Hall (UK)