The immediate thing that comes to mind when listening to Down Memory Lane is indeed that baritone vocal. It’s a pure and remarkable instrument that clearly stands out when wringing out each emotional lyric of a ballad. “The Altar” is the first of the ballads on the record (as track two) and finds Richie taking the place of a man who ‘worked up the courage to come inside’ and pray to God for the chance to get back the woman of his dreams. It’s a story that’s been told in many different ways but Richie makes this Tony Toliver, Jim Martin and Brice Long-penned tune his own. “She Ain’t You” finds Fields singing a tender tale of a man heartbroken with the fact that he cannot shake that first ‘wild love’ despite the fact that he knows the woman he’s with is the one who truly is right for him. Richie sings the ballad with all the required emotion and feels completely invested in the lyric. The title track, which was co-written by Richie Fields himself, tells the tale of a grandfather who tells how he fell in love with his wife fifty years earlier. It is in many ways similar to “Love, Me” in theme but it doesn’t crib the song as it finds Richie singing of how he hopes his own relationship feels the same ‘down memory lane.’ It’s a sweet, romantic tune that suits the vocalist well. Perhaps the best ballad on the entire record is the Karen Staley-penned “My Way Home,” a song that is about God’s love but it could also be interpreted as a song about a parent’s love for their child.
The up-tempo tunes on Down Memory Lane have been featured as singles and even if “Losing You” felt cluttered and a bit too loud in places, Richie still sold the song with his vocal while “Wichita” hits all the right notes with a strong, nuanced vocal that tells a story of a man who cannot believe that he’s sitting at home without the woman of his dreams. The song then finds the narrator bound and determined to head to where that woman now appears to be - in Wichita – so he can try and get her back. “When You Love Someone That Much” is another of the strong up-tempo singles from Down Memory Lane as it chronicles the love that people have for their children and spouses, no matter what life and circumstances bring to them. Anyone who’s has had to be ‘strong’ for those loved ones in their lives around them will absolutely relate to this tune. Another up-tempo tune (not yet a single) is “When My Baby Wears Red,” is a moody and groove-y tune that finds Fields describing all the various ways his ‘baby’ looks in her wardrobe (and her own moods). It’s a tune that works as a great homage to both Twitty and Ronnie Milsap as it’s something that wouldn’t have been outta place on either of their records.
Even if Richie Fields never does find himself taking up Conway Twitty or Ronnie Milsap’s place as a go-to soulful baritone vocalist for country radio, he certainly has carved himself a nice niche with Down Memory Lane. It’s an album with a nice balance of strong ballads and up-tempo tunes that make for an entertaining album.
You can support Richie Fields by purchasing this album (Physical CD or Digitally) at CD Baby.
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