Back in the late 80's and early 90's, Ricky Lee Phelps was part of the loud, brash and less-than-fashionable Kentucky Headhunters. As a band of redneck Southern rock and blues-boogie boys, their hard-pounded "The Ballad of Davey Crockett", "Blue Moon Of Kentucky", and "It’s Chitlin’ Time" are remembered Saturday night jukebox favorites, amongst a host of other band charters.

Phelps had his share of those trailblazing days, a six-year journey that saw two albums and countless awards, including a Grammy, before he decided to leave in ’92. With his brother, Doug, he formed the popular, if not more contained, Brother Phelps. A couple of years, a couple of albums, and the duo parted musical ways, each pursuing personal goals (Doug rejoined KH in ’96).

The following years had Ricky Lee prioritizing his life away from forced touring. First, he wanted quality time seeing his young, adopted, son grow up. Then, with family issues in order, there was time to concentrate on songwriting, recording and producing his latest album in his recording studio.

Signs Of The Times, a first for the recently created Crossfire label, is a tidy showcase of those efforts. With the familiar replaced with a new direction, a new energy and a new sound, the album sits right on the money. The 10 tracks, Phelps helped ink 8, show a guy clearly enjoying this phase of his career.

As the son of a minister and, now, as a preacher himself, Phelps has used his music here to share his take on life. The title track with its religious awareness – "There’s a day a-comin’/I do not know the time/If you ain’t ready to meet your maker/you can run but you sure can’t hide/open up your eyes child/don’t get left behind" – sets up the direction and drive of the album.

Phelps comes on strong, but doesn’t preach, on an album skirting the issues of family, broken romances, the power of positive love, and the renewing of mind and attitude as heard on "Shake It Off". The motivational rocker tells it like it is – when the load is heavy, don’t sweat the small stuff, shake it off and move on.

The strength of Phelps’ album is in its subtlety. The lyrics are primed for reflection, but the message, wrapped in chords and riffs created by liner-absent, unnamed musicians, is easy labor making for an uncomplicated and listener-friendly album.

"Love In Motion", complete with its simple message of practice what you preach when it comes to kindness, is effortless harmony and soft instrumentation, while "Tears In A Bottle", "Onward Through The Fog", and "Love Never Fails" capture, fully, the maturity of strong songs.

Human frailties, shown by what you see isn’t what you sometimes get, are the disclosing lyrics on "Two-Way Traffic". Phelps’ strong and clear vocals ring out on what is an up-tempo album favorite. Not unlike "John Deere Letter". The keys to the house and a land deed aren’t enough for one unhappy wife. In a comical tune of tractor envy, in full throttle and spinning dirt, the wife shoots through – leaving only a "Dear John" letter for comfort. Amusing.

Ricky Lee Phelps could not have thought of a more apt title for this album. It not only marks his return to recording, it also allows him to share his walk of faith and his positive musical renewal.

"If I have one song that can change one thought pattern in one person, to their betterment," says Phelps, "then I have accomplished my goal. Anything more than that is icing on the cake."

When the Kentucky Headhunters came on to the national country music scene in the late 1980's they were a band that featured prominent electric guitars and had an approach to their music that some would call "raunchy." Ricky Lee Phelps was the main lead vocalist of the group until 1992 when he and his brother, Doug, formed the duo Brother Phelps. After a few years that project dissolved with Doug eventually rejoining the Headhunters. Ricky Lee, on the other hand, retreated to Arizona and lived his life.

Fast-forward to 2003 and Ricky Lee has completed his first solo project on the new independent label Crossfire Records. Entitled Signs of the Times, the production is crisp and Ricky Lee's vocals remind one of that first Headhunter's record (Pickin' on Nashville) I loved so much. Featuring a mix of uptempo tracks like the southern boogie of Shake it Off and all out southern rock opus of Signs of the Times (an old HeadHunters song) to the traditional country styling of Onward through the Fog, Tears in a Bottle and John Deere Letter.

While those are all fine songs there are pair of songs that truly that make this CD worth owning. Sometimes was written by Ricky Lee with his brother Doug and it is one of those songs that makes you open your heart and mind. The song reminds us that there are often silent victims of bad marriages and divorce.

Sometimes words can hurt, sometimes words can kill, sometimes hearts get broken, sometimes they never heal, sometimes silence isn't golden when there's words you need to say, oh, we got to love our children or they're gonna slip away...don't let them slip away.

If you think of the context of the song it could apply for every child that gets ignored and left behind. The guitar playing is passionate and really sends the message home with strong effect.

With a progressive, infectious melody, Two Way Traffic on the surface seems to be a jaded love song but taken literally from the lyrics it is a song that tells of society's penchant for trying to save everyone.

When you're scared to go for justice, and compassion has left your hand, but the first with precious gifts of love when it comes to healin' our own land but the milk was never whiter and the honey never so sweet as in mainstream two way traffic down a one way street.

What the song says, in my mind anyway, is that we should all be aware of things around us and that we should question what is going on around us, not just become lemmings to our government.

Ricky Lee Phelps may have taken a long time off to be with his family but he has returned to the scene with a confident vocal style wrapped up in familiar songs and styles. While he's no lock to get any airplay, there certainly are a few songs on this CD that are as good if not better than some songs on country radio stations.