Download "Right Then and There" (live at Bush Hall), as featured on Fresh Meat

Read the latest reviews...

online press

  • The Water's Edge reviews
  • Beard Rock - "At the heart of this record lies some great song-writing and emotionally inspired performances from Ritchie. It also helps that the melodies are insanely catchy – after only a few listens the tunes were stuck in my head...All round, a fantastic debut."
  • Music Liberation - "'The Waters Edge' is a powerful, thoughtful, and wholly enthralling debut album by Luke Ritchie, one of which is highly recommended..."
  • Shout 4 Music - "Ritchie refuses to be pinned down by genre constraints, but the most refreshing thing about his debut album is how cohesive it all sounds.
  • My Dad Rocks - "By the close of the album any fears of peaking too soon with the stunning first track have been pushed away, and 45 minutes have flown past in a wave of quality tunes."
  • Mr Scott Music - "It's a well crafted collection of songs that are delivered with a humble warmth and blessed with irresistibly exquisite arrangements that compliment the engaging vocals perfectly."
  • IndieLONDON - ."...The Water’s Edge comes recommended as the type of album that marks the arrival of a significant new singer-songwriter talent...he’s an artist with a very big and bright future ahead of him..."
  • Fatea Magazine - ."...it doesn't sound like a debut and it doesn't feel like a debut. If the publicity had told me that this was following on from five studio albums, a double live release and a ten year retrospective I would be frantically researching his back catalogue and lying about how his breakthrough third album was my soundtrack to the summer of 2005.
  • Exposed Magazine - "It’s the power of Ritchie’s singing that makes this album... If he can produce something of this quality every six months, we’ll be looking forward to hearing a lot more from him in the future."

Live reviews

  • The Times' review of the Wilmington Arms, London, 7th August 2012 - "...Often he recalled Richard Thompson, not least in his phrasing, his bluesy numbers had hints of John Martyn; his poppier songs wouldn't be out of place ina Mumford & Sons set....Far bigger venues are surely on the cards."
  • Soundsphere's review of The Basement, York, 24th July 2012
  • Live Review from Bush Hall, Dec 2011
  • by New Reviews
  • One word: spell-binding.
  • When you walk into the beautiful Bush Hall, with its traditional dance-hall decor awash with red velvet and chandeliers, you expect a suitably impressive performer to fit the venue. London singer-songwriter Luke Ritchie more than delivered upon these expectations.
  • Ritchie’s singing voice is superb and captivating, injecting passion and feeling into all his songs, proving once again the overwhelming emotive power that comes with singing your own songs. You instantly want to know the background behind songs such as ‘The Lighthouse’ and ‘Off your Guard’ that feel personal, as though you’re reverentially observing some private story.
  • Ritchie was joined on stage by an ever-changing menagerie of musicians from his core band to a string quartet and a variety of backing singers, including his sister Charlotte Ritchie who he proudly introduced as ‘Oregon’ from Channel 4′s Fresh Meat. This patchwork of artists coordinated together effortlessly giving a polished and impressive musical performance, while Ritchie switched between guitar and keyboard.
  • My favourite song of the night, ‘Right There and Then’, is one of the many that demonstrate Ritchie’s vocal range from quiet and ethereal to strong, deep and loud. Whether performing alone with just his voice and a guitar or with a whole team of musicians, Ritchie controls the stage and the audience.
  • Looking for a comparison to describe his sound, his softer songs bring Glen Hansard from the film ‘Once’ to mind, while upbeat, folksy songs such as ‘Shanty’ and ‘Butterfly’ remind me of Mumford and Sons – neither being a bad comparison.
  • Luke Ritchie – it’s clear I am now a fan – raw but polished, soft but powerful, he is worth seeing live to get a proper taste of his music. However, as the next best thing his debut album is available now on iTunes or check out his website for a taster.
  • Also, check out my interview with him following the show.
  • From New Reviews UK

Indie Is Not A Genre - "To feel the full liveliness of the piano riffs, I recommend whacking up the volume on your music player to as high as you can make it go!"

Muso's Guide - "The songs therein are raw, both in terms of heartfelt honesty and roots-rock guitar work, whilst the collection overall represents display of writing prowess rarely matched."

Electric Banana - "Luke Ritchie exudes total British charm...something fresh, modern and exciting."

AAA Music - "The songs are rich, passionate and beautiful. Both intricate and complex, they have a soulful, yet rocky tone. This is music which is strong, polished and accessible."

Rhythm Circus - "All in all, an outstanding debut album."

7Bit Arcade - "Ritchie’s enveloping vocals are a warming comfort accompanied by artistically constructed, often passionate melodies... enough merit and character to keep you coming back for more."

Lyric Lounge Review - "...Ritchie’s glorious debut..."

Glasswerk - "with The Water's Edge we get [...] an album that packs power as well as solidarity and if you will 'coolness' about the album"

Acoustic Magazine - "Coming across vocally as a less oak-aged John Martyn or a more fragile Paul Brady, here's a debut from an acoustic singer-songwriter unafraid of making a full-metal racket. (Full review available in August issue no. 68)

RoomThirteen - "...a richly and beautifully crafted piece of music on the whole. Both the neck-prickling pieces and the catchy folk-pop numbers exemplify his passion and his inherent talent."