Rob Rice - and the Devil's Threesome

Rob Rice

and the Devil's Threesome
​self-released; 2020

4.0 out of 5

By Dino DiMuro

Kansas City, Kansas, singer/songwriter Rob Rice has just released his debut EP titled and the Devil’s Threesome. What makes this collection unique is that Rice used 12 of his Kansas City brethren on these six tracks, parceled out two for each song. He’s planned this project carefully: the resulting sound is so consistent you’d never guess he’d taken this approach, but the players are stellar and the whole package works beautifully. He went so far as to take color-tinted portraits of each contributor to introduce them on his Instagram page.

Rice says his songs encompass “barn-burning ballads to soothing serenades, all of which contain notes of love, loss and lust whilst learning to live with oneself through it all.” He jokingly adds that his music is “…so sultry and amorous it eradicates any ailment currently cramping your youthful, sensuous soul.” Thing is, he’s not far from the truth; but he’s not exactly joking either, as his Instagram posts do not suffer from false modesty. 

Rice’s pleasant, relaxed singing and playing appears to flow naturally from deep inside, without a hint of sweat or strain. Rice says that fans of Sufjan Stevens, Andrew Bird and Damien Rice might enjoy his music, and to that I would add the Fleet Foxes, to whom his voice and compositions have some similarity. At one point I had his album opened on both Spotify and Soundcloud and accidentally played the same song against itself, delayed by about a minute. It took me a little while to realize what was happening because his vocals perfectly complemented each other, even out of sync and with different chords. Given the stellar sound of this project, it’s amazing to discover that it was recorded in Rice’s home using Logic Pro X and minimal recording gear, though some contributors added their parts remotely. Mastering was by J. Ashley Miller.

“Tiny Window” is the opening track and the first single, and literally glides in on Calvin Arsenia’s harp glissando. This gentle, folky tune is an unlikely love song to Rice’s basement, which became an essential creative space during the pandemic for many of us. Rice says “tiny window” refers to his “learning to appreciate the only natural light source in a cold, cathartic basement.” His lyrics are sweet and evocative of both his basement and the love for his seeming ex-partner. “And how am I supposed to forgot what all went on? / How we turned the basement from a dungeon to our home? / How you practiced dance moves in the mirror in the bathroom / How you’d blast the heater to rid us of the cold.” Ezgi Karakus adds a wonderfully droning cello, and both he and the harpist take a short duet as the song ends.

On “There’s A Devil Inside Me” Rice gets background vocal assistance from Rachel Feeley and Landon Hambright (who also plays standup bass). This song in particular put me in mind of the Fleets, both for the vocals and the subject matter: the ego voices that take hostage of your head after losing a loved one. “There’s a devil inside me / And I just want him to go away / but I fear he’s here to stay.” Short and bittersweet. “Thinking Of Another” features Teri Quinn (clarinet/vocals) and Stephen Roper (drums) for a Micheal Franks-like smooth jazz tune about sleeping naked with a near-stranger. Rice’s lyrics are so good I could quote them all, but then I’d never finish this review! Fun twist ending, too.

Not veering too far thematically, “Serial Lover” explores the nuances between long-term and fleeting relationships. The guests here are Robert Castillo (upright bass) and violinist Coleen Dieker, whose gorgeous playing and lovely signing fully completes this tune. “Down The Road” possibly continues the dialogue with the woman in the tiny window, “discussing the desire to stay together, despite the redundancy of departures in the past.” Mark Lowrey adds nimble piano for a showtune-like sheen, along with the sweet layered vocals of Miki P.

The final song “Swipe Right” brings us full circle to a relationship started with a dating app, featuring the final two guests Clint Ashlock (trumpet) and Eva Louise Hall (vocals). This may be the only song that I felt sounded a bit shrill, but Rice has earned enough goodwill to get a pass.

This collection of songs is so good, and Rice and his guests so skilled, that I can’t imagine anybody not enjoying and the Devil’s Threesome like I did. The songwriting and performing talent on display here can’t be faked.

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