RICK DUFAY - WRITTEN IN STONE

Rick Dufay will be best known for his time in Aerosmith from 1981 to 1984. During this time he helped a band that seemed unable to function any longer become a band that could recapture its old former glories. 'Rock In A Hard Place' is the undiscovered gem of Aerosmith's back catalogue and Dufay was part of that gem. During 1983/84 prior to the Perry / Whitford line-up reformation work was under way to write a follow up to 'Rock In A Hard Place', which leads us to 'Written In Stone'. A rough working of the title track was from those sessions, entirely written by Dufay it showed what could have been. Dufay later completed the title track along with the rest of this material and it was finally recorded in 1989 at Ridge Farm Studios in England. Since that time it had been sitting in Dufay's vaults, until he was recently persuaded to make it available to fans at mp3.com/rickdufay. The rest of the personnel consists of Martin Smith - bass, Chris Slade [AC/DC / The Firm] - drums, Nick Coler - keyboards with Dufay handling all the guitars and vocals. The album musically is classic Aerosmith style hard rock but with a few twists here and there. If modern day Aerosmith has you shaking your head in disbelief then 'Written In Stone' is the perfect remedy. Don't expect this to sound exactly like old Aerosmith but if you were to update the classic Aero sound then this is what it could well be like. However, musically all the material on offer is strong enough to not need the Aerosmith references and proves what a strong songwriter Dufay is as well as having a strong grasp of how to play kicking rock guitar.

1. WRITTEN IN STONE [4.13]
A superb slice of prime hard rock. The riffs are hard and biting, Dufay intended this track to bring back some of the classic Aerosmith riffery and musically the track fuses Walk This Way's funkiness with the grit of say Sweet Emotion or Back In The Saddle. The lyrics and phrasing are very Tyler but then he did originally sing some scat vocals to a basic version in the early 80's so its nice to see Dufay keeping this style as it works well. The lyrics will reveal Dufay singing about/to Tyler or 'Rico The Scat Cat' as he is credited. The guitar work is cutting and the solo is pure attitude. A superb track that makes you think about what could have been...

2. TEMPTATION [4.42]
A dirty sleazy up tempo hard rock number, if you think Motley Crue circa. 'Girls Girls Girls' then you will not be too far off, however, its musically more accomplished than the Crue and again brings Aero thoughts to mind. Rick delivers a great gritty vocal about the 'Temptations' of being in a new city. The main hook of the chorus is super catchy, whilst the solo is perfectly suited.

3. WILDLIFE [3.57]
Opening with some bizarre sound effects before moving into a demonic menacing groove. Dufay describes the song as being about "young, dumb, free, loud, confident and wrong". The track would not be out of place on any Alice In Chains album, however, the chorus is much more classic hard rock and again very catchy. The solo sees Rick giving the tremolo bar some serious abuse and helps add more depth to the eerie addictive track.

4. HOW I KNOW [3.25]
Another dark sounding track that sounds quite haunting, with good use of atmospheric effects. The track has an almost dark U2 feel to it, the chorus is again dark. The verse has quite a quirky melody, certainly unusual but it works well against the sparse backing. A nice melodic solo adds a lot of depth to the track and overall its one of the most original sounding tracks on the album and stands out because of this.

5. DOOR IS OPEN [5.26]
The track starts off sounding like a bad trip with strange voices and heavy breathing before kicking into life for what is another great hard rocking track. The track was originally written shortly after the release of Dufay's debut 'Tender Loving Abuse' album in 1980, but it does not sound 20 years old, instead it is very fresh and cutting edge. Lyrically the track is about life, the choices we make etc. Production wise the track sounds huge putting many modern production values to shame! Dufay's fretwork skills are given room to come to the fore towards the end of the track - a highlight.

6. HOLD ME BACK [4.03]
A track that has a vibe like that displayed on 'Steve Steven's Atomic Playboys' album, with a rocking Def Leppard type vibe to the chorus. The track is about juggling five chicks at once and then having to deal with pangs of guilt that start to multiply and take on a life of their own.

7. ROCK N' ROLL DON'T DIE [3.54]
A track in the classic goodtime mold, think Kiss [Argent] 'God Gave Rock N Roll To You', and you are on the right track. The track is pretty autobiographical about Rick's early days living with his Mum moving from town to town trying to find a better life. The track displays classic songwriting sensibilities with strong verses, catchy chorus, and a good bridge, enough killer hooks to hang your entire wardrobe on, overall a classic sounding track.

8. DIDN'T I [4.02]
Another autobiographical song, this time about Rick's time in Aerosmith and the emotional kaleidoscope of feelings that followed afterwards - "Drugs were cheap so's the company you keep now I know, it ain't over till its over that's what the man said...". The track is again very atmospheric with keyboards creating the main bed of the track whilst Rick plays some haunting slide guitar over the top. The track builds with fine style and some backing vocals from Linda Lewis help add to the overall aura. A strong track musically and the lyrical content is must hear stuff for anyone that calls themselves an Aerosmith or indeed a music fan - The feeling you get from the track is "It ain't always pretty and doesn't always go right but it will make you stronger".

9. ONE WORLD [4.13]
A track that almost steps on classic AOR territory with its big sound, intertwining of guitar and keyboards and general feel. Dufay's vocals sound a little similar to U2's Bono and are well suited to the message in the track - hope for the future, hope for mankind. The chorus has that big quality to it and its sounds very sincere, probably the most commercial track on offer. A nice extended solo sees the track out and its in the melodic Schon / Lukather vein.

10. ARE YOU NOW [4.45]
'Are You Now' is a track in the classic bar band mold with strong guitars, horn sections, gritty vocals and a goodtime feel. Lyrically the track is about trusting your gut instincts, listening to your insides and acting accordingly, the lyrics are packaged into an up vibe. The bridge takes a complete left turn and heads towards an almost Sabbath esque riff before the good time chorus takes over again. The track seems to blend several of the different styles represented throughout and makes it a good summary of the album.

'Written In Stone' is an album that will find a welcome home in any classic rock fans collection and also any Aerosmith fans home. Despite the fact that this collection of songs were recorded 12 year ago they still sound very fresh and modern, yet still retains that classic rock sound. The number of styles on offer show that Dufay is a strong accomplished songwriter who knows his trade and does not need outside help to produce strong catchy tracks. The lyrics also show another string to Dufay's bow with a lot of honesty being shown. The title track and 'Temptation' are the sort of thing Aerosmith should be doing now yet there is so much more to this album that that. The overall sound of the album is great and the band make a tight package that makes this music that you will get something out of on every listen, with enough subtleties to make subsequent listens a joy as you notice a new fill, lyric etc. Overall its as good a slice of classic hard rock that I have heard in a while and I strongly suggest you all check out this album out at mp3.com/rickdufay.

RATING
9.0

HOT SPOTS: Written In Stone, Temptation, Door Is Open, Didn't I.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended for those dismayed at modern Aerosmith, yet loads to offer for the more casual listener.

Review by Andy Craven.

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