Probably many of you have never heard of Rico Schett. He is a songwriter and musician based in Krakow, Poland. It this country he is known for his work with The Morning Wine. His musical inspirations vary from classic rock and ballad, through alternative/indie rock/pop tunes and classical music, to progressive and hard rock and metal. In 2025 he decided to go more classical, with only live instruments and the voice as main means of expression, taking inspiration from Asaf Avidan, Nick Cave and PJ Harvey, with a bit of progressive storytelling. The album Fair trade was released at the end of 2025, preceded by 4 singles, starting with Together We fall. The Rico Schett project was created by songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Rico Schett in collaboration with music producer T Dot Est (Szymon Aleksander Piotrowski). They began with three ballad-like tracks in early 2025. It soon evolved into a full-scale album project, taking on the form of progressive storytelling when Szymon returned to Krakow from Austria, bringing his blue drum kit and a wealth of ideas. It becomes very clear that the album was mainly recorded by Rico Schett and T Dot Est. The first did lead and backing vocal and played on the guitars, organ (1, 3, 7, 10, 11), synth (11) and bass. The second main musician did some percussion and played on the electric guitar, keyboards (4) and bass. They got some help from several guests which were: Józef Bobula ( organ- A Holy Day, backing vocal -Home), Aleksander Margasiński (bass - A Holy Day, backing vocal - Home) I Piotr Bolanowski (piano -Together We Fall). Sessions took place at Kotlownia Studio, Weekendova Studio, Aleksander Margasiński's studio and Psychosound Studio. All tracks were mixed by T Dot Est and mastered by Tom Waltz in New York, USA. Rico Schett and T Dot Est present the album Fair Trade as a progressive tale of ego, emotions and loss. Therefore it is easy to say that the album explores themes of ego, emotions and loss, with war (leitmotif of Shooting stars) and violence as a haunting backdrop - particularly in tracks such as Make A Wish, One World To Collide and the poignant Over The Moon, based on a true story of rape in the West Bank. The music on this album is rather laidback and mellow and moves towards a style which can be labelled as ballads. Echoes of Nick Cave, Asaf Avidan, and The Doors permeate the album. Highlight on the album is the closing track Confessions (Do You Feel Alright?). It sounds a bit as if you are listening to a mellow piece of music released by Riverside or Lunatic Soul. Mainly because of the vocal parts of Schett are reminiscent to the voice of Mariusz Duda. Those who enjoy varied progressive rock with plenty of tempo changes and powerful instrument displays can safely skip this album, as this doesn't apply to Fair Trade at all. Those who want to relax with calm, flowing music will find Rico's music to their liking. The aforementioned names will give you a good idea of what to expect musically. But it's best to simply consult the well-known music streaming services to see if this album is for you. Personally, I enjoyed what was offered, even if it wasn't the music I normally listen to. *** Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
