It isn’t often I hear music that so inspires and moves me as did Earl J. Rivard, III’s Underground Railroad. This young man is absolutely one of the most exciting new talents I have heard since I started listening to music. Period! His voice is as smooth as silk and he sings with pure passion.
Underground Railroad begins with the title cut. A tinny voice spoken via bullhorn –
“Warning: The following song will offend some ears. Skip it, if you must. The real obscenity is the United States government breaking up families as a matter of policy”
Then, in Spanish –
¿Como vas a quitarle una madre a su hijo?/¿Como vas a decirle que se tiene que ir?/Loca es la cultura que confunde estas cosas/Loca esta cultura, lo hay que decir
Translation –
How are you going to take a mother from her child?/How are you going to tell her that she has to go?/Crazy is the culture that confuses these things /Crazy this culture, it must be said.
These are some very intense, gut-wrenching lyrics to say the least.
As it turns out, Mr. Rivard graduated from Cal Berkley with a degree in Ethnic Studies in 2001, so this is a subject matter the man is very close to and extremely knowledgeable. He sings the song with a great deal of passion. From the first note, I was transported to locales such as El Salvador or Guatemala, where these words are the harsh reality for many mothers who have lost their children after being displaced by our government who espouses “family values” every election year. This tune is a great positive that is born of a brutal negative; bringing awareness to a subject most people would rather bury their heads in the sand and pretend it doesn’t happen. Not Mr. Rivard though. He is calling these villains out and does it eloquently with one of the greatest weapons ever developed, music.
On the third track, “Coldest Place” Mr. Rivard goes from political activist to blues man.
It wasn’t always this way/I remember when you used to say/That you wanted me beside you to fire you/But the flames have all died down/This is the coldest place in town/And I really don’t know how long I can stay.” These are some great blues lyrics beautifully sung by Rivard. By the third track, he has established he can do folk music, romantic ballads, and blues, plus he has set the pace for the record. The entire album is well balanced throughout. Every musician on the record compliments one another and absolutely comes together as one very tightly regulated band.
This sensational collection of musicians has Lance Riley on drums, Dave Lionelli on bass guitar, Timothy Drury pounds the ivories on “Till I Met You” and “Yours Eternally”, and Max Cowan plays keyboards on the rest of the album. Mike Wynar plays lead guitar and is outstanding. BZ Lewis plays lead on “The Sun Finally Rose” and helps on percussion along with collaborating on string and flute arrangements. Of course, we know about the lead vocals, but Mr. Rivard also plays rhythm guitar and was the other part of the puzzle on the string and flute arrangements. If that were not enough, he and his Father, Earl Rivard, Jr. either wrote or co-wrote all thirteen songs on this unbelievable record.
Further, Rivard has what has to be one of the most vibrant and most perfect voices I have heard in decades. What makes his voice so perfect? It’s the power that thrusts it from deep down, forced upward from his diaphragm, echoing through his throat and out of his mouth as if it were amplified. I absolutely could listen to this man sing all day and I’m almost positive I would never tire of listening to him. One could never grow tired of hearing these incredibly natural sounds. His range is wide and the voice never seems strained no matter what he is singing.
All told with his vocals, band, and exceptional songs, Earl J. Rivard, III is an outstanding artist who has created one of the best albums of the year in Underground Railroad.
Review by Rod Ames
