Our Song of the Day is via a video premiere from folk singer-songwriter Rob Richings. Ten Seconds is taken from his forthcoming debut album Parkas and Boots and was written when Rob was very ill, inspired by the first ten seconds of the day when everything is okay, before reality kicks in.
It was a brush with death that gave Rob a new sense of perspective and renewed lease of life. In 2009 he was diagnosed with a rare and severe form of colitis, which after years of mis-diagnosis, metastasised into cancer. Now, following three life-saving and life-changing operations Rob is thriving and can expect to live a relatively normal life. While on the road to recovery Rob decided enough was enough and it was time to get serious about his music. “I don’t want my illness to define what I do,” Rob says, “but at the same time, that illness and the way I look at life now has made me a better songwriter.”
After releasing his debut EP, ‘Half Way Up’, in 2015 – recorded in the New Forest – Rob decided to head to more distant shores to record the album. ‘Parkas and Boots’ came to life in Sydney, Australia, under the guidance of producer Chris Vallejo (Passenger).
Rob’s songs are, understandably, incredibly poignant. After all, nothing quite focuses the mind on the past like the possibility of not having a future. “The album is quite nostalgic. The songs are about growing up and how I had a sense of openness and freedom. But then as I got older, life became more complicated and I realised how free and easy my childhood was.” The songs on his debut solo album ‘Parkas and Boots’ carry gently positive messages that mark Rob out in a genre so often spent exploring life’s darker corners.
‘Parkas and Boots’ marks an exciting new chapter for Rob. Now 36, married and with two young children, Rob may seem to be taking a gamble on music, but when you’ve nearly been down and out, the only way is up. And Rob Richings is determined to climb high.
Find out more here: www.robrichings.com