Ralphy's C.D. Reviews

Review date 01-12-1999: Billy The Kid - C.D. The burnout factor

Billy The Kid is a Dutch rock band from The Hague, which has always been the primary rock city in The Netherlands. The first thing I heard about them was that they were the opening band at concerts of Anouk. Later I found out they first did a tour as openers for Anouk's mentors the Golden Earring. Anouk heard them play and took them with her on her tour, so they could profit from her (new found) fame and Anouk herself had an already livid audience at the start of her performance, due to Billy The Kid. (By the way also look out for Anouk's latest prodigees Kane, whose CD will come out at the end of January 2000).

Any comments you might have on these reviews

Visit my message board: Ralphy's Music and Stuff Forum

Their musical breakthough on radio started with the single "loser", written by ... Anouk, in exchange Billy The Kid seems to have written a song for her second album. They already had put out their debut album "Uncle Louis Coffee Corner", when "Loser" became a radio hit. Their record company reacted immediately and put "Loser" on that CD and renamed it to "The burnout factor". Billy The Kid is a quartet, consisting of Ricardo Pronk (vocals and guitar), Ron Knoester (guitar), Dave Bordeaux (bass guitar) and André Kemp (drums).

What is your opinion about the CD's I reviewed? Vote for your favorite CD in this booth! You can only vote once a day.

Ralphy's CD Review Voting Booth

The music that Billy The Kid plays can be described as a bluesy kind of rock. There is nothing overdone on this album, it's great in its simplicity. Singer Ricardo Pronk has a grungy sound in his voice and often mixes this with somewhat depressing lyrics about lost, abused or waisted love in songs like "song of a prisonman", "another day" and the above mentioned "loser". Love is the main theme of all songs and in "Home" (a duet with female background singer Sacha de Bruin) and "Miracle" it is approached with a more positive attitude. Other songs above average and therefore worth mentioning are "Changing lifestyle", "Insanity" and "Every day", the second single with a small notation in the Dutch hitlists. All in all from the 12 songs on this album I rated 8 as good (or better) and 4 as average (not mentioned), this leads to a final rate for this inspired debut of a 7.5 .

Back to Ralphy's C.D. Reviews Page

Back to Ralphy's Cool Music Site