WHAT THEY SAY
"Robert Hecker is another noteworthy guitarist... "this crazy hippie kid who was going to punk rock shows", Hecker appears in his present day form as an engaging eccentric who can still shred."
- The Wire
"IT’S OK! – ‘4’
Nos lleva desde el pop de guitarras clásico hasta temas con un punch más cercano a la celeridad punk.
Ecléctico, abarcando un amplio abanico de registros sonoros, el cuarto álbum de It’s OK!, un grupo cuyo miembro más conocido es Robert Hecker (conocido en estos lares por haber sido también guitarrista en álbumes fundamentales de Redd Kross; ahí está para la eternidad sus líneas de guitarra en el icónico, majestuoso Third Eye) no decepciona, sino que activa el estado de la serotonina.
Un viaje que nos lleva desde el pop de guitarras clásico hasta temas con un punch más cercano a la celeridad punk, influencias de la chanson francesa, temas lentos… Un banquete excelente donde picotear y no aburrirte a través de sus dieciséis canciones. Ellen Rooney ejerce de cantante en la mayoría de las canciones, una volcánica voz perfecta para los temas más rápidos, pero que también sabe adecuarse a cuando se rebajan las pulsaciones y entramos en otros terrenos que necesitan distinto tipo de textura vocal.
Producido por Hecker, aparte de sus magníficas guitarras, encontramos algunas canciones donde ejerce de cantante principal, y en otras dobla la voz de Ellen Rooney, lo cual le da un punto de diferencia al disco que se agradece. Aún así, con la lista citada de estilos que aborda, es homogéneo, se nota en cada canción el ADN del grupo, su propia idiosincrasia e individualidad en un mundo, el del rock o el pop, donde cada vez esos valores se pierden más a menudo.
Que batallen desde la independencia, les da esa libertad creativa. Aunque seguramente si por una concatenación de casualidades llegaran a ser un grupo de top ten en el Billboard, seguramente funcionarían de la misma forma en que lo hacen ahora. Uno de esos anómalos álbumes que quizá pasen desapercibidos por la mayoría de los medios, pero que sin duda tienen suficiente enjundia como para pararte a escucharlo una y mil veces."
-RockZone Mag (ESP)
"Even though the shadow of Redd Kross would naturally loom over any band that Robert Hecker might form, It's OK! do a good job of following in those footsteps - as they have since 1992 - while slyly subverting expectations. Melody and the power of a well-tuned song are clearly very important things to Hecker. Bursts of power pop give way to tender folk ditties before eventually circling back to the sort of angsty, blistering punk that made a name of Hecker to begin with."
- www.northwestmilitary.com
"Redd Kross player Robert Hecker follows up that band's really-rather-good power-rockin' 2012 album "Researching the Blues" with the skewed pop-rock vision on the third album from It's OK!"
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"It’s OK! is a harder-rocking contrast, with Redd Kross guitarist Robert Hecker raining glittery glam-rock solos over singer Ellen Rooney’s soulful power-pop entreaties."
- LA Weekly
“It’s OK! ... dazzle and delight the crowd... one may rest assured they'll come up with a piquant earful of shiny, shaggy song and happy, pretty, altogether groovy entertainment!”
- LA Weekly
““Guitar guru…” “genius…” “guitarist par excellance…” “the Hedge…” Robert Hecker has been called all these, and more, for his searing leads, “tight as sh*t" riffs, and signature circular picking. Robert’s been peeling paint off of the back walls of clubs, theaters and stadiums for a couple of decades as lead guitarist for L.A. legends Redd Kross, and as leader of his band It’s OK!”
- Sparkplug Magazine
“While the band leans on three-chord, riff-laden rock wonders, It’s OK! plays around quite a bit with genres. A little calypso (“Vanessa”), low-fi folk tunes that suggests Guided By Voices (“You’re The One”, “Rumors of Mastodon”) and heavier rock tunes like “Al and The Eight Ball,” which ends with a free-for-all for voice and guitar that I especially enjoyed. “All I’ll Ever Need” begins as a Gatsby-era number a la The Inkspots and develops the breadth of Queen. There’s even a jazzy riff that anchors a brief tune called “Cool” and a bit o’ the funk on “Crazy Guy." Nicely sparse and yet brave in its attempt to pollinate a lot of musical flowers, It’s OK! is an album from a band that might not have a singular direction but has scope and stones enough to try a lot of different things. It’s OK! is a complimentary representation of the band. And it balks at being pigeon-holed, which is always a plus in my book.”
- Burlington Free Press
“Some bands you want to like because you appreciate the band members’ previous work. And sometimes you don’t know what to think after you hear it. Hey, this is not a bad combination, but they do wander stylistically. Speedy punk and a thoughtful chorus make “Another Sixteen” a raw piece of gristle: “so you pray to BudMan / drink up heavy, dudes / party animals die / from exhaust fumes and booze.” “Vanessa" is classy funk, not unlike Poi Dog Pondering. Tight and fast are the staccato quirks of “Pink Piece of Peace,” which finds them begging “please Holly please”. “You’re The One” echoes sadly like a mix of Leonard Cohen and Velvet Underground, and “Cool” is a brief exercise in syncopation and delightful repetition. I don’t know if you can be eclectic to a fault. Guess we’ll have to wait and see… it’s that diverse.”
- EC Rocker
“THIS IS NUTS!!!!!!!!!!!! LEVEL: Advanced 10... Check this out and learn to play twice as fast. In this video Robert Hecker demonstrates his "circular picking" technique. I have been playing guitar for 24 years, and I have never seen anyone pick like this. It's pretty crazy, see if you can do it!”
- www.playthisriff.com
"They're better than The Beatles."
- Dez Cadena
"It's OK! I can't speak for anyone else, but I feel better. The punctuation really helps."
- www.squarepiginaroundhole.blogspot.com