[Johny]

Given how rare and surprising it is that hr's finally released something, I think it deserves its own thread.

A new single I Pray is out, just two days after teasing us on Instagram.

I Pray - YouTube

According to this article, he's going to release three more singles over the next weeks. Livin’ Alone (May 3), Songs That Wrote My Life (May 10), and Believe (In Miracles) (May 17)

https://www.loudersound.com/news/richie-sambora-i-pray

Well, after missing the Masked singer attention opportunity, it's good he's finally using the documentary publicity to promote his music. It's been time!


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[Johny]

After first two listens I'm ok with it. If this is to the rest of the singles or a potential album what Every Road is to the rest of Aftermath, than there's nothing to complain for me however I must admit that I've been easily pleased lately I'd appreciate it more with less processed vocals, it sounds a bit unnatural.

It's just nice to hear him after some time.


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[Dts broker 2014]

Thank you for posting the link; I didn't have to wait until tomorrow. I've been waiting for years to hear something from him (aside from RSO), although I generally liked the song since he posted it on IG. Now that I have a full picture, I notice a trend towards saturation. Not only with Richie but also with Bon Jovi. Lately, producers seem to think that putting all the instruments at the same level is great, but in my opinion, it ends up being an exaggeration of compression. While the voice has chorus and other effects which, as mentioned, only give it a slightly less natural touch. Richie maintains his personal focus, without trying to prove anything (which is contradictory, as it's somewhat suspicious that everything happens, so to speak, in what we could call an ego competition, right?). It's always good to hear from someone who was one of the most important parts of the band we all admire and follow.

[Litneg]

Too much effects don't you think?

Guess he's learning from the master Shanks

[Marc871121]

IMHO this song called “I Pray” is one of the worst songs I’ve heard from the BJ world.
I was hoping for something much better from him and from Bob Rock and I still hope the other 3 will be much nicer.

The only truth is that he has to go back to BJ, period.

[Thinny]

As I said in the other thread..

I really like it. I get the issues with production and vocal effects but the songs itself is upbeat and catchy as hell. I don't get the problems with the chorus, I think it's a really strong chrous. I agree that the talkbox solo is messy - Richie was always great at very melodic solos and this isn't one of them. Overall it's got me excited for more music from him, which is the exact opposite of what Legendary did, so I'm all for it. It's fresh, new and different sounding from Richie, where as the Jovi song was just retreading the same old ground we've heard time and time again..

I just hope that after the 4 songs we get details of a full album!?

It definitely seems that he is doing this without a label this time. Which is this day and age isn't an issue.

I notice that there has been no posts about it on his Facebook page so I presume that this means he has lost access. Hopefully his team can sort this, but it should have been sorted in advance of the release. A big part of his fan base will be Facebook users.

[Alphavictim]

Good call on this getting its own thread.

It's not super duper awesome (Forever All The Way is easily the best thing he's done since 2012, this is not as good as that, but it's also better than, say, Sugar Daddy), but it's a fun little romp. I like the energy, parts of it are very catchy (the "it's called life..." bit is especially hooky, great start) - it's good!

If Richie were still in Bon Jovi, this would be a bit weird, since I think that band could do this kind of songs as well. His more bluesy or soulful stuff, that to me was always "solo Sambora". But considering the more straightforward things were always part of what he wrote and he can't pitch these to Jon anymore, well, it makes sense.

[Butters]

I don't like it. Wish I did, but I really don't enjoy it.

[Elvistico]

I'm way more pleased with this song than with Legendary. The song is high energy, has a driving rhythm, the lyrics are real and the the chord progressions are cool too. The sound is a bit modernish and lacks a bit of organic feel but it's ok. Lots of vocal layers indeed but still ok. During my first listen, I heard the talkbox come in and I was thinking ... wouldn't it be cool if after this short talkbox solo, Richie would dive into a real solo with a lead guitar that cuts through the mix and takes the song to the next level. Unfortunately, that didn't come and so... the solo is really the weak point of the song. But, nevertheless: RS vs BJ in terms of released songs in 2024: Sambo wins.

[kleman]

Do we hear the same song....however after one listen i'm done. Nothing special