REVIEWS ON RICHY KICKLIGHTER

Kicklighter at his best- October 27, 2005
This is Richy's 7th album and one that has a relaxing, soothing, sound. There are no screaming sax solos to grab you or any heavy guitar riffs to jar you out of your chair. Infact, in some instances, the drums are a little too heavy for the rest of the sound. But, Kicklighter definately has a sound of his own. I especially like track 2 - Everglades and track 4 - Bahia Vista where Neil Larsen (piano) gets a chance to not only play with Richy, but to come to the front, if only for a brief moment. Track 11 - In The Distance really has that smooth jazz feel to it. He's helped out by Neil Larsen here as well, who is on organ for this track. All in all, this is an album that is mellow and very pleasing to the ear. One for which you can truly put on, sit back, enjoy a book, or just let your mind wander amongst the clouds in the Moving Skies.

Everglades - Richy Kicklighter
With a title like Everglades, you're probably thinking that this track has something to do with Florida. If so, you're right. Kicklighter is a Sarasota based guitarist who issued a series of albums from the mid-80s thru until the late 90s. Although he's continued to perform locally he's been conspicuously silent on the record front for quite some time. Moving Skies is his recently issued seventh release and first since 1998. The music follows more or less the same course as his previous albums, moody & melodic, with much of it being inspired by the Myakka River which as part of its course runs thru the similarly named State Park not far from Kicklighter's home base. Richy often frequents its banks in order to relax and get rejuvenated and his music has long showed an affinity for its natural rhythms. Indeed, the title of Kicklighter's 1994 cd was Myakka. In any event, Everglades seems to perfectly reflect the feeling of a winding restful sojourn on that river !!

Richy Kicklighter

Every now and then you come across music that you can listen to over and over and never get tired of. Richy Kicklighter is one of those musicians who have the ability to touch on the basics of what means so much to us all. "Moving Skies," Richy's 7th album, is a soulful, melodic mix of New Age, Worldbeat, and smooth Jazz, featuring acoustic guitar, piano and percussion. It is a journey on a train through time and the sounds of life.

Richy lives in Sarasota, Florida, with his wife and two boys. Born in Stamford, Connecticut, Richy's adventures as a youth traveling and living throughout the country and Puerto Rico are the inspiration for his creative melodies.

"One Sun One Moon," is one of my personal favorites of Richy's music. Just kick back, relax, and let the melodies take you on a journey far away from your cares to that private place where you wish you could always stay. If you've ever had a chance to live in or visit the countryside and fell in love with it's peaceful surroundings but had to give it up for the city job and all it's stress, then this is your chance to hop that train to escape once again.

Check out the music of Richy Kicklighter at his website. You're gonna love it.

RICHY KICKLIGHTER-MOVING SKIES
You may never have heard of Florida guitarist Richy Kicklighter, but over the course of seven albums he’s made some of the most mellow and gorgeous smooth jazz on the planet.

Kighlighter's King’s Highway and Myakka CDs from 1993 and 1994, respectively, are two of his best. It may conjure up overworked images, but his best songs on those and all of his CDs have been the ones that’d be kissin' cousins for the warm breezes of tropical nights.

Kicklighter – and you have to love that name – returns with 12 new songs on Moving Skies, released on his Midnight Pass Music. There are many memorable moments here, but the one song that jumps out as one of the guitarist’s new classics is the title track. It’s simple, elegant and the perfect chill-out tune after a hot day at the beach. “Bahia Vista” and “Indian Shores” would work also.

A perfect way to iron out stresses, Moving Skies is a muy bueno guilty pleasure, better than therapy.

Posted by Brian Soergel at October 6, 2005 04:45 AM

J A Z Z   R E V I E W
By: DJ joymusique89

Richy Kicklighter "Moving Skies"CD
Jazz Artist: Sarasota, Florida
Website: richykicklighter.com

Tracks available on itunes.com and rhapsody.com.
cdbaby.com/cd/kicklighter2

"Moving Skies" is Richy Kicklighter's 7th released CD. This is a smooth jazz guitar, new age, and world rhythm music. I enjoyed and liked this CD the very first time I listened to all of the tunes and all tracks written by him.

It is about his style and the way he played the chords confidently, which produced every tune he played, a clean and perfect sound that will make every listener feel good. I didn’t want to stop listening right from the first track “Indian Shores" and continuously up to the last track entitled “Hey You”. I was in a relaxed mood, very soothing and calming. Listening to the tunes, I would imagine myself walking on the beach, or just having a quiet moment at home with a cup of tea and just relaxing.

I have my personal favorites. My #1 is"A Minor Blue". I love the melody and kind of melancholy sweet flavor it gives. Another track “Bahia Vista”, which had a Brazilian feeling to it because of the beat and the percussions sound were prominent, that will take your imagination to a Brazilian coolness--atmosphere. Neil Larsen, who is also one of my favorite jazz artists since the ‘70’s, played piano on "Bahia Vista" and some other tunes, on piano and organ on this CD. Other favorites are "Hey You", "Moving Skies", and "Indian Shores".

Richy Kicklighter is brilliant in his guitar playing and combined with intelligent musicians composed on "Moving Skies" CD, and every instrument heard such as the bass, pedal steel, percussions, piano, keyboards, and drums sounded fabulous.

A very enjoyable CD.

July 13th, 2006
Richy Kicklighter – Moving Skies
3½ Stars out of 4

I’ve been waiting for this CD for the last couple of months. The label’s publicist finally asked if I ever received it and I said, “No, I never did.” I finally received a copy of his CD and it's well worth the hassle. "Moving Skies" is a collection of music that should be on the Weather channel. Kicklighter’s guitar style is light and easy, though not too heavy handed. The best track on the CD is the title track. You can really hear the comparisons to fellow guitarists, Larry Carlton & Craig Chaquico. It's a treasure of a CD.

About Richy Kicklighter

Writes and plays blues , jazz, worldbeat, new age, reggae, r&b, funk. Richy is known for his soulful and melodic guitar style . He plays both acoustic and electric and writes and produces his own music. Richy Kicklighter has 7cds released on the smooth jazz , blues and new age formats that have charted and received airplay on radio and tv internationally. Currently his new cd Moving Skies (smooth jazz) is on his own label, Midnight Pass Music, and was picked in the top 15 of 2005 on Sky fm radio, and has received many outstanding reviews. He also has a song on the new Wishbone Ash cd, Clan Destiny. Midnight Pass Music and Richy Kicklighter have a new smooth jazz cd to be released before Christmas, and are planning to release an acoustic blues jazz mix as well. Just For Kicks, released in 1987 on the Ichiban label, was an immediate favorite with contemporary jazz radio, and climbed quickly on Gavin and R&R radio charts. With the release of his second Ichiban recording, his soulful and unique guitar voice and originality in songwriting and melody made his name synonymous with good contemporary jazz music. King's Highway was released in the spring of 1992 on the Japanese Polystar label and reached ..4 on the Japanese billboard charts. Produced by Richy and Sonny Abelardo King's Highway featured and allstar band with Neil Larsen, Jimmy Earl, Bubba Bryant, Lenny Castro and Joe Sample. In 1994 Myakka also on the Polystar label, was released with another allstar band featuring Jimmy Earl, Sonny Emory, Lenny Castro, Neil Larsen and Richard Elliott and produced by Richy and Sonny Abelardo. These recordings did very well in Japan as well as the U.S.and led to several compilation cds in Japan with artist like John Denver and Christopher Cross. In 1998 Richy wrote and produced One Sun One Moon, his first new age cd which has just been rereleased and is possibly his biggest seller. It is a nonstop musical adventure with a train and sounds mixed with exotic acoustic guitar, piano, pedal steel, percussion and more. Richy started his Midnight Pass Music label to provide him with a way to produce his music and ideas and at this time Midnight Pass Music has 3 cds available by Richy: Moving Skies, One Sun One Moon and Richy Kicklighter Live, with 2 more cds in production and soon to be released.