Here at ’33&1/3’ we pride ourselves on bringing you music that is not only well known CCM fare but also on revealing to you hidden gems which may have passed you by.
In that vein, this month we delve into an album that is such a rare and precious find and so unheard of by a wide spectrum of the artist’s fans that we actually had trouble buying it online. The main reason being that this artist went by his birth name, Dicky Ochoa, when he recorded this Christian sophomore solo effort in 2000.
A talented and idiosyncratic singer-songwriter, a collaborator, a friend of many in both the Christian and secular scene, Dicky was an indie rock treasure and an acclaimed producer. He was a musician’s musician.Although he went on to record numerous solo albums as the more well known Richard Swift, with this early album we get an unbridled vision of Dicky’s universe in his early Quaker days.
On this record Dicky displays the confidence and skill of an artist who’s not concerned about showing off. The deep worshipful lyrics reveal a humble and tender soul who is only too aware of his own frailty, yet knows the sure and loving hand of his God thereby drawing the listener in to bathe in the warm glow of his gratitude for his personal redemption.
Drawing on numerous Psalms and other Biblical passages for inspiration, Dicky takes you on a musical journey where you will find yourself thinking of Bruce Springsteen, Badly Drawn Boy, Neil Finn and even Radiohead. Yes it’s true that Dicky was some sort of impossible amalgamation of influences, a real ‘renaissance man’.
As a bonus, for this episode, Benno was privy to some very candid and intimate details surrounding Mr. Ochoa and this early album through personal connections with his father and brother.
To hear all this and much more make sure you click on that Play button for a real revelation of an album and an artist.