RIK EMMETT – Raw Quartet [Japan release]

Talented Canadian RIK EMMETT graced Triumph’s classic albums with his superb songwriting and exquisite guitar work, but also has a quite prolific solo career. “Raw Quartet” is one of his lesser known records, and one of his best. As requested, here’s the out of print Japanese edition (Canada was the only other country where the album was released, 1999).

“Raw Quartet” was the 3rd album in Rik’s “Open House Trilogy”, consisting of 3 albums exploring his stylistic guitar roots. The first was all about classical playing, the hit upon jazz & swing played on an arched top guitar, but this “Raw Quartet” shows Rik’s love for the bluesy rock genre he developed in Triumph, as played primarily on a solid body electric guitar.

Classic bluesy influences such as Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Gary Moore as well as contemporary players like Stevie Ray Vaughan color and shape Rik’s tone as wellas his phrasing. Top the great playing with Rik’s distinctive vocals, and in “Raw Quartet” you have one of the great moments in the Rik Emmett catalog.

“Perpetual Motion Love Machine” starts the album off with a bang. The pace is quick, the breaks tight, and the solos bang on. “Walkin'” is a funkier track, very much in the Robben Ford mold, as Rik even mimics Ford’s vocal stylings and wah-wah pedal. “Gasoline” is in the ZZ Top Texas shuffle vein, and percolates along nicely.
“Hogtown Rag” is just that – a ragtime blues inspired by early days of the genre. The featured instrument on this as well as the next track “All On Board” is the metal-bodied Dobro resonator with a slide, for that slippery sound.

“The Last Goodbye” is an instrumental ballad inspired by the likes of Larry Carlton, but I hear some retrospective Satriani too. Rik simply plays the haunting melody, which almost brings a tear to the eye. Beautiful.
“C’mon Along” is a punchy rocker with some Hendrix inspiration on it; raunchy tone, deft soloing, and good chord melody usage.
Then “Crazy Woman” is an acoustic number – Rik really shines on the nylon strings – no frills, just singin’ & strummin’.

“Head Case” is a 2-minute sonic blitz, complete with distortion, wah-wah, and heavy reverb. Lots of notes in a short time for a kick ass song. The most traditional blues piece on the album is “Too Little, Too Late”, where Rik sets the mood immediately laying out a G-Minor blues groove, peppering the written verses with vocal ad-libs. 7 minutes of pure blues / classic rock magic.
“Navajo Sunrise” is a page taken from the George Harrison / Clapton school, a laid back, mostly melody and played on electric slide guitar that sounds as though George himself played it. A nice wind down at the end of the album.

Rik Emmett is right at home in this musical idiom all over “Raw Quartet”. It’s an album full of emotion, melodic, rocking at places, slow and intimate at others. It’s not ‘raw’ at all, production is clean, with a pristine mix.
It’s a great piece of work from one of the most exquisite, versatile and refined 6-string slingers out there.
Highly Recommended

01 – Perpetual Motion Love Machine
02 – Walkin’
03 – Gasoline
04 – Hogtown Rag
05 – All on Board
06 – The Last Goodbye
07 – C’mon Along
08 – Crazy Woman
09 – Head Case
10 – Too Little, Too Late
11 – Come Clean
12 – Navajo Sunrise

Rik Emmett – Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Randy Cooke – Drums, Percussion
Pat Kilbride – Bass Tracks 1, 3-4, 7
Peter Cardinali – Bass Tracks 2, 8, 10
Steve Skingley – Bass Tracks 5-6, 11
Doug Riley – Organ Tracks 2, 6, 10
Shannon Emmett – Synths Track 12
Tony Daniels – Backing Vocals Track 7

Out Of Print