by Derric Miller
— Managing Editor—
Jesus Was an Atheist. God Don’t Care. Suicide Manifesto. That’s right … Rick Springfield is back with a brand new studio release and it’s darker than black, in the best way possible—it’s the blues. Quite obviously known for having upwards of 17 Top 40 hits, the multi-faceted talents of Springfield roam from music to acting to writing. He’s also been haunted by demons since his teen years when he tried to end that pain at the end of a noose, but luckily, that’s one of the few things he’s failed at. His new album, The Snake King, highlights his guitar playing and lyricism more so than his pop sensibilities; in fact, you wouldn’t guess outright this is Rick Springfield at all if you heard it apropos of nothing.
But The Snake King isn’t apropos of nothing, it’s Rick Springfield peeling back the flesh to lay bare his bones, and it’s already making its claim as 2018’s best album.
“Land of the Blind” begins the journey, and this is one of the more commercial offerings on the release, a mid-tempo acoustic-driven hit. “Cyclops in the white house understands it, keeps everyone snowblind from the great west wing. He knows the rules don’t apply here in the snake pit … it’s the land of the blind and the one-eyed man is king.” Now, sure, this could be about the current president—OK it surely is—but it’s not ONLY about that. This are all sonic metaphors for society, for mankind, for trying to understand that “in the land of the dead, the dying man is king.”
The Blues aspect of the album runs you over by the second track, “The Devil That You Know.” There’s a huge R&B vibe, Springfield sings with a lot more soul than you’ve ever heard, and while the beat and rhythms are danceable, the lyrics are a bit damnable, with slices of apostasy like, “I had a talk with Jesus, I said man, you just part of the machine. He unfriended me on Facebook, I said oh no you don’t, I’m the devil that you know baby I know what you want.”
“Judas Tree” is about as textbook Blues as you can get. It’s so comfortable, and familiar, with the repetition of first lines … yet the imagery is severe. “They say when you die hanging, you get hard as you go down. I think I’ll cut poor Judas from the tree … and I’ll take him on the ground.” While a superior vocalist, it’s the despair, it’s the acceptance of bleakness in his voice that really takes this all home.
Again, a song with the title, “Jesus Was an Atheist” isn’t what anyone expects from Springfield. The sheer storytelling capacity of these compositions is rare. Again, listening to these songs is as comfortable as putting on an old well-used baseball mitt, with oil stains and dirt rubbed in for good measure, and they are somehow as soft and yielding as they are cutting, highlighted by lines like, “I know you all believe that Jesus was divine, but Jesus was an atheist, he was a friend of mine.”
Slide guitar rules the roost on the title track, “The Snake King.” It’s a song that, while mostly acoustic, really sounds like it could be one of those anthem-rocking full-on electric songs. Maybe like something Tesla would create, except, well, Tesla doesn’t write words like, “But if you’re trying to find salvation, I’m not your destination … but I sure am in the bed you’re sleeping in!”
As mentioned, Springfield has and does fight depression. His battle springs forth in the song, “Suicide Manifesto,” and the dichotomy of a rockin’ sing-along Blues tune and lyrics you know echo in his head every day makes you wonder if you should bop along or pray. “I used to be a fighter, now just the victim of the ebb and flow. Looking forward to the silence when I cut my radio …”
It’s rare to be able to listen to an album all the way through and not need or want to skip a song. You just can’t on The Snake King. And to end it with “Orpheus in the Underworld” is that testament to saving the best for last. It’s everything. If you can give a song an IQ, this one earned its Mensa membership. True, if you don’t like political songs—especially if you lean too far to the right—this one might not resonate … but that’s not Springfield’s fault. He’s singing his truth. “Koch Brothers, Goldman Sachs all run the world as they see fit, as they turn the planet into dust, and your children’s lives to shit.” If you remember Orpheus from your Greek mythology classes, he braved Hell to save his beloved Eurydice from the Land of the Dead, only to fail to follow his instructions exactly, losing her forever. Describing the mastery here doesn’t do it justice, but when it fades with Springfield’s final lyrics, “As time runs out for Orpheus, in the underworld,” it’s not a leap to think he’s not just talking about Orpheus …
The Snake King is going to surprise fans, the critics, pretty much everyone. It’s dangerous when you don’t know what you don’t know, but if you listen close enough, Rick Springfield just might let you know what that is.
Genre: Rock, Blues
Band:
Rick Springfield (lead vocals, guitar)
George Nastos (guitar)
Siggy Sjursen (bass)
Jorge Palacios (drums)
Tim Gross (keyboards)
Tracklisting:
1. In The Land Of The Blind
2. The Devil That You Know
3. Little Demon
4. Judas Tree
5. Jesus Was An Atheist
6. The Snake King
7. God Don’t Care
8. The Voodoo House
9. Suicide Manifesto
10. Blues For The Disillusioned
11. Santa Is An Anagram
12. Orpheus In The Underworld
Label: Frontiers Records
Hardrock Haven rating: 
(9.2 / 10)
Thanks for the incisive and thoughtful commentary on Rick Springfield’s new masterpiece “The Snake King.” I am a long-time fan of his, since the early 70’s and I’ve always been impressed by Rick’s ability to tell a great story and to put down some of the best guitar licks I’ve heard. Yes, “The Snake King” is biting, blistering and says some things that some people may not want to hear or feel comfortable with (sometimes the truth hurts), but I think it’s the best use of an artist’s talent and platform to educate us as they entertain us. As I’ve been listening to this CD, I’ve certainly been educated and entertained and it just cements what I’ve always known about Rick. He’s not just an artist who’s been popular with the “chicks” (and I am one), but he’s a great lyricist and musician and all around entertainer who has earned every bit of the accolades he’s achieved and should command a lot more respect than he’s been given by the press and some other musicians out there. Like a fine wine he gets better with age.
thank you for taking the time to really analyze Rick’s lyrics