Roky Erickson
All May Do My Rhyme

THE REVIEW

All May Do My Rhyme is one of the most genuine, extraordinary, and moving albums ever made, and the most incredible thing is that it was created by a man, whose brain long ago got lost in the deepest depths of space, but as soon as the first song starts, it becomes clear that Roky is in a state of grace (as a musician), I'm Gonna Free Her is an engaging country-folk ballad supported by a powerful voice that tells us about stories of love, freedom, and magic.
It's certainly a stunning start, but the album is a continuous succession of incredible and devastatingly beautiful songs: the captivating and sensual Don't Slander Me or the desperate paranoid blues of Haunt, the innocent love songs For You and Clear Night For Love, so restless and carefree at the same time.

What can we say about the enchanting Starry Eyes, if you listen carefully, you can see the ghost of Buddy Holly.
All May Do My Rhyme is an album of great musical depth, and it contains everything that the creator of psychedelic music was and all that he has become: there are his stories at the edge of the impossible, there is folk, country, blues, rock'n'roll, Bob Dylan, and above all, there is the loss of innocence and sanity, so dramatically remembered in the poignant Please Judge: "Please Judge, give freedom to this child / it sure would make him smile / all that may do my rhyme is deny that there is crime / please don't say - Send that boy away".

This is not just rock'n'roll, this is something more, it is a testimony, it is a dream that turned into a nightmare too quickly, it is an indelible trace of the past, it is an alien that came from Mars, it is the village fool, it is genius, it is poetry, it is love, it is sex, it is a man.
This is not just rock'n'roll, this is life.