With heartfelt lyrics, smooth acoustic guitar work and a welcoming hook, Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer proves in “Ask Me Yesterday” that he knows what he’s got and it’s not gone.
With well-documented vocal chord problems over the past decade and a half, Keifer was expected by many to never sing again. Through hard work, a bevy of different vocal coaches and pure strength, Keifer is back. His new work is different from his iconic melodies in the ’80s, but it’s still rock solid. His voice sounds a bit grittier than it has in seasons past, but it’s now that of a seasoned storyteller, one who understands his abilities and is constant control.
It’s ironic that his health problems have caused him to calm down his signature wide range vocal work, but in the end it produces something he wasn’t capable of before. You’d never have heard Keifer’s name mentioned in the same breath as talent the likes of James Taylor and Jim Croce, but after this track, it’s obvious; he can play an acoustic ballad just as well as either of them. Other songs on the album prove he can still rock, but this track will hit you in the heart.
The lyrics tell a story of a man who understands how the passage of time has affected his relationship. He’s not sour though. He just knows he’s not the same man he once was. It’s not a bad thing. It’s life. The youthful exuberance he once owned is no longer his. So if his love wants to ask questions about it, she was better off asking him “yesterday.”
Passionate and smooth throughout, Keifer and his six-string work in wonderful tandem here. It’s a track that works just as well on a rainy day as it does on the drive home from work. Again, he’s not your father’s Keifer, but this more mature and rugged version may be the one you end up remembering when your “yesterday” comes.
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports.
Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders.
His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023.
Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief.
Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale.
Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.
With heartfelt lyrics, smooth acoustic guitar work and a welcoming hook, Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer proves in “Ask Me Yesterday” that he knows what he’s got and it’s not gone.
Leave a Reply