Sometimes it takes 80 years to learn who you really are.
Renowned America rock singer Mitch Ryder was born in 1945 and gained fame with his band, Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, which he formed in 1964. Ryder & The Detroit Wheels achieved significant success in the mid-1960s with hits like “Jenny Take A Ride” (1965), “Devil With A Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly” (1966), and “Sock It To Me, Baby!” (1967). Their music was a fusion of soul and rock, earning them a reputation as one of the tightest blue-eyed soul acts of the era.
After leaving the Detroit Wheels in 1968, Ryder pursued a solo career and formed the band Detroit in the early 1970s, which included guitarist Steve Hunter and drummer John Badanjek. The band released a self-titled album in 1971 and had a hit with their version of Lou Reed’s “Rock & Roll.” Despite experiencing throat trouble in the 1970s, Ryder returned to music in the 1980s and continues to record and tour. 
Now signed to Ruf Records, Ryder recently released With Love, about which he says: “Out of the 21 studio albums that I have recorded, this one is in the top two, It is one of the most honest albums I’ve ever made. Not that the other ones were lies, but I was able to access previously hidden feelings.”
The album was recorded at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak, Michigan and produced by Don Was. All the songs were composed by William Levise (Ryder’s real name), with the exception of “The Artist,” co-written with Margaret Levise.
“Everything on the album is autobiographical,” Ryder declares of the ten r&b and rock songs. “‘One Monkey’ is about my drug addiction and how I overcame it. ‘Fly’ is about my career and being happy about it, the trajectory and body of work I was able to produce.” Ryder’s voice is front and center, throaty and road-tested with full command of a formidable collection of studio musicians.
“Sanguine,” the third track, hints at a Latin influence and is likely destined for radio play; you’d be forgiven for expecting Carlos Santana to make a guest appearance here. “One Monkey” hits that mid-tempo groove instantly like a party favorite, despite the subject matter: “That’s what monkeys do / Into my feet, oh what a treat, / It’s just your black and blue / Into my arm, what a charm.”
“Oh What A Night” is laden with foreboding lyrics like “America we sure know how to have fun / Barbecue and alcohol / Check your guns at the door” while also embracing a Latin groove. The Rolling Stones get a tip of the hat on the ballad “Wrong Hands” and the minor scale descending notes of “The Artist” bring the Led Zeppelin classic “Stairway To Heaven” to mind.
It’s all a reminder of the breadth of genres that Ryder spans, from Southern rock to r&b and beyond. Ryder’s influence on rock music is especially notable, with artists like Bob Seger, John Mellencamp, and Bruce Springsteen citing him as an inspiration. Ryder was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2017. With Love shows that Mitch Ryder knows exactly who he is and how he got here.