“Little Clarissa and Other Stories”

Inspired by the title of a J. D. Salinger short story collection, Joe has put together eleven stories in eleven songs, reflecting the complicated, heartbreaking, worth-it beauty of living and loving on our crazy amazing planet. Joe takes his listeners through a musical and emotional rodeo ride worth taking. From the soaring fiddle of Katie Shore, to the incredibly nuanced production of David Beck, the album sonic textures complement Joe Martyn Ricke’s signature from-the-heart style.

Sometimes euphoric (“Sing about Your Love”), sometimes heartbreaking (“Beautiful Eyes”), and sometimes both in the same song (“Our Road”). Sometimes the best description is haunting, or maybe haunted (“Raven”).

As a practicing poet, Joe’s attention to the details of life and the voices of real people is obvious, but never at the expense of the musicality expected from Texas hill country songwriting. One listener summed it up by rephrasing the final line of the album’s title track (“it’s heartbreaking beautiful world”) — it’s a heartbreaking beautiful album. Give a listen hear to a bit of the title song, “Little Clarissa.” Find three more complete songs from the album under the “Music” button.