Will Richards

To compare this album to Ed Harcourt, Richard Ashcroft and Jeff Buckley all thrown in a blender would not do justice to this earnest, stylish collection of well thought-out songs. Will Richards is a songwriter through and through, churning out tracks which pay close attention to melody and texture, with some fine hooks thrown in for good measure. 'Be a Better Man' pleasantly reeks of Jeff Buckley's 'Last Goodbye', making for an impressive opener, and the glorious crescendo finishing off 'Good As Gold' is a clear indicator of Richards' good grasp of structure - another album highlight. The title track sees him pleading like Thom Yorke circa The Bends, the wash of reversed audio at its start the only experimentation to be heard anywhere on the record. When I first cast an eye over the artwork and song titles, I admittedly expected a mediocre, middle of the road James Blunt-a-like, but what I got was something far superior: an excellently produced, flawlessly performed and marvellously written record. Nothing flashy - simply great songwriting. - Sandman Magazine

After 2 years of hard work Will Richards releases his debut album “Ready To Talk Now” moving on from his acoustic work into a more of a solo artist direction. The opening track “Be A Better Man” really sets the whole tone of the album, amazing! It’s pretty clear from the offset that he is strongly influenced by artists such as Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright. Unlike most artists who seem to flop at attempting to recreate a sound from an established artist, he achieves this beyond expectation.

“Ready To Talk Now” is one of the most outstanding tracks on the whole of the album, following closely to Rufus Wainwright’s strong influence on Will Richards. His potential truly shines through on this track, with flowing melodies and a daydreaming chorus. It is clear he really pulls off a similar sound to Rufus Wainwright, building up to a spectacular and dramatic ending, leaving you feeling lost for words.

“Over Him” proves to be yet another spectacular track on the album. With more of an acoustic feel than the rest of the album, it really proves his musical talents can stretch further than most artists around at the moment. Recording most of the instruments himself, talent like this seems hard to come by. This tune catches your attention from the very start, with its upbeat and cheery tone. It almost feels lullaby like with lyrics such as ‘Don’t cry so hard little baby, after this rain the sun will be shining’.

Overall this album is worth splashing out on, it’s difficult to even attempt at deciding which track is the best. Will Richards is definitely an artist to be looking out for in the near future, let’s hope we see him at some of the bigger venues!
- Die Shellsuit Die

He has spent two years beavering away, working hard to produce a debut album he can be proud of and it’s safe to say that with ‘Ready To Talk Now’ Will Richards has achieved that.

‘Ready To Talk Now’ is a colourful mix of songs that sees Richards performing the majority of the instrumental work himself and singing beautiful and touching lyrics. His songs are well performed, well written and well produce, Richards proves to be a shining light in Wakefield’s dark and dingy music scene.

Will Richards has put together an eclectic collection of songs that are reminiscent of Jeff Buckley. He has proved himself to be more than just your run-of-the-mill singer/songwriter. This guy is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
- Sceneslut