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Draft:Montgomery Ricky (2016 album)

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Montgomery Ricky is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Ricky Montgomery. It was released on April 1, 2016 by Crescent Heights Records.[1] The album is most notably known for its two tracks, "Line Without a Hook" and "Mr. Loverman" for becoming viral on video-sharing app TikTok in 2020. Although the album initially did not gain mainstream success at first, it gained generally positive reviews from critics.

Montgomery Ricky
Studio album by
Ricky Montgomery
ReleasedApril 1, 2016 (physical); April 8, 2016 (digital)
StudioAsthmatic Recordings, St. Louis
GenreIndie rock, indie pop, alternative pop
Length35:31
LabelCrescent Heights Records
ProducerJon Heisserer, Ricky Montgomery
Ricky Montgomery chronology
Caught on The Moon EP
(2014)
Montgomery Ricky
(2016)
It's 2016 Somewhere
(2022)
Singles from Montgomery Ricky
  1. "Line Without a Hook"
    Released: February 5, 2021[a]
  2. "Mr. Loverman"
    Released: March 5, 2021[b]

Background

[edit]

The launching of video-sharing platform Vine in 2013 was seen by Montgomery as a "springboard for a possible music career".[2] Montgomery got the app a day after its release and gained a following by posting original songs that incorporated humor. This saw the release of his debut extended play Caught on The Moon in 2014.[3] After noticing that his EP landed on rock and alternative charts,[4] he dropped out of college, went back to his hometown in Los Angeles to pursue a music career and released Montgomery Ricky in 2016, with all three of the EP's tracks appearing on the album.[1][5][6]

Release

[edit]

The release of Montgomery Ricky initially didn't gain mainstream success, leading Montgomery to work several jobs and forming the indie band The Honeysticks, a side project with one of his childhood friends, which he then took a break from in 2018.[6][7][8]

In the summer of 2020, just as Montgomery was considering quitting music entirely,[6] the album became a sleeper hit later that year, when its two tracks "Line Without a Hook" and "Mr. Loverman" gained popularity on video-sharing app TikTok, with users discovering the songs on the app and using it in a variety of videos.[8][9]

Following the popularity of his songs, Montgomery released music videos for "Mr. Loverman" and "Line Without a Hook" on YouTube, respectively.[9] He was also contacted by "virtually every single major label A&R in a matter of months."[8] This eventually led to Montgomery being signed to Warner Records in December 2020.[5][8]

Montgomery made his major-label debut with "Line Without a Hook" and "Mr. Loverman" released as singles with remixes featuring artists Mxmtoon and Chloe Moriondo, respectively in 2021.

I think because we had a really traumatizing year, these songs kind of found a moment, because they're all, in their own way, about traumas in my life.

— Ricky Montgomery[5]

An acoustic version of "Mr. Loverman" also appeared on Montgomery's 2022 extended play It's 2016 Somewhere.[10][11]

On the first day of December 2023, Montgomery released a 'holiday remix' version of "This December".[12]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Young Folks[1]
UNF Spinnaker[13]

Montgomery Ricky received generally positive reviews, most of which praised Montgomery's songwriting and vocals.[14][15] On Album Of The Year, the album received an average score of 75 out of 100 based on 310 user reviews.[15]

AJ Caulfield from The Young Folks gave the album a score of 10 out of 10, stating that the album is an "eclectic anthology of songs that belong in a league entirely of their own".[1] Zain Beverly from UNF Spinnaker on the other hand, gave the album a score of 4 out of 5 'sails', describing that the album has a "good cohesion" and a "great sound throughout".[13]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Jon Heisserer and Ricky Montgomery

No.TitleLength
1."This December"3:01
2."Line Without a Hook"4:09
3."Cabo"2:27
4."Don't Know How"3:03
5."Last Night"4:03
6."California"3:30
7."My Heart Is Buried in Venice"3:04
8."Mr. Loverman"3:36
9."Get Used to It"3:55
10."Snow"4:36
Total length:35:31

Personnel

[edit]

All credits are from the album's liner notes.[16]

Musicians

  • Ricky Montgomery - vocals, backing vocals, guitar, piano, string arrangements, synthesizer, etc.
  • Jon Heisserer - bass guitar, guitar
  • Joe Meyer - drums (tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 9)
  • John Pessoni - drums (tracks 2, 3, 7, 8, 10)
  • Abbie Stilling - violin (track 2)
  • Greg Clark - lead guitar (tracks 5 and 6)
  • Luke Lanzon - vocals & additional vocal arrangement (track 8)

Production

Notes

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  1. ^ This is a remake of the song with the same title from this album with singer mxmtoon
  2. ^ This is a remake of the song with the same title from this album with singer Chloe Moriondo

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Caulfield, A. J. (2016-04-02). "Album Review: Ricky Montgomery - "Montgomery Ricky"". The Young Folks. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  2. ^ "The Honeysticks Sweeten Storke Plaza | The Daily Nexus". The Daily Nexus | The University of California, Santa Barbara's independent, student-run newspaper. 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  3. ^ Kamau, Clare (2021-03-29). "Ricky Montgomery biography: age, height, songs, partner, career". Legit.ng - Nigeria news. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  4. ^ Express, The Courier. "Local Events". The Courier Express. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  5. ^ a b c "Ricky Montgomery - Paradigm Talent Agency". 2021-06-04. Archived from the original on 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  6. ^ a b c founder (2022-11-19). "Ricky Montgomery". Foundations Music. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  7. ^ "Ricky Montgomery & mxmtoon Team up for New Version of 'Line Without a Hook' » // MELODIC Magazine". www.melodicmag.com. 2021-02-05. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  8. ^ a b c d Ginsberg, Gab (2021-02-05). "Ricky Montgomery Signs With Warner Records, Debuts 'Line Without a Hook' With Mxmtoon: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  9. ^ a b says, Lofi Study (2021-03-10). "Popular TikTok trends boost underground artists and their growing music careers". The Miscellany News. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  10. ^ "Ricky Montgomery It's 2016 Somewhere". 2022-04-15. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  11. ^ Race, Sydney. "A disappointing defeat for Ricky Montgomery's sophomore album, It's 2016 Somewhere". The Central Trend. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  12. ^ Montgomery, Richard [@rohmontgomery] (November 30, 2023). "This December (holiday version)… out 12/1" (Tweet). Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ a b Taylor, Joshua; Beverly, Zain (2021-03-22). "Album review: Montgomery Ricky by Ricky Montgomery". UNF Spinnaker. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  14. ^ shutter16mag2011 (2016-04-04). "Montgomery Ricky, An Album For Everyone". Shutter 16 Magazine. Retrieved 2024-09-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ a b "Ricky Montgomery - Montgomery Ricky - User Reviews - Album Of The Year". Album Of The Year. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  16. ^ "Montgomery Ricky, by Ricky Montgomery". Ricky Montgomery. Retrieved 2024-09-19.