Mike Rybak

Mike Rybak is a San Diego-based singer-songwriter-guitarist and flutist. His songs - personal, observational, and philosophical - bring to mind the music of James Taylor and Paul Simon, and ring with the conviction that Love, in its many forms, carries us from darkness to light.

San Diego Troubadour review of debut album "A Lot Like You" by Frank Kocher, March, 2018:

Mike Rybak is a roots singer/songwriter whose songs vary from soft and personal acoustic folk pieces built
upon his eloquent guitar playing to soft rock and breezy pop-jazz, with stops in between. His engaging
voice is perfect for the intimate approach of so much of the material on his debut CD, A Lot Like You. The
album was produced and arranged by Craig Pruess, who has played on, arranged, and produced numerous
albums and soundtracks in Britain for decades. The result (some recording was done locally as well), is
absolutely pristine.
The 14-track program opens with “That Thing You Felt,” an intriguing tune that, like many here, features
Rybak’s delicate fingerpicking, then shifts with piano (Pruess) and drums into verses that have more of a
toe-tap rhythm as he sings: “The love you knew/ Is always inside of you/ Deep as the ocean.” The
metaphysical lyrics float as he hums the last verse of a tune that takes its time. Rybak fronts a full rock
outfit for “Between the Lines,” and the grinding electric guitars notwithstanding, his earnest folkie vocal
delivery doesn’t quite carry enough octane for this kind of thing. No biggie, since “The Journey” is up next,
just him and Maria Luiz Roca right at home on a beautiful folk duet, with his guitar and flute along for
decoration.
The title track captures some funk and jazz vibes, as a bass and acoustic guitar hook work with the
percussion to lift the arrangement. It adds up to a highlight that makes Rybak and his lyrics about
transcendence soar. “Johnny Wonder” is given another lift by a big arrangement, a nod to Paul Simon with
great percussion propelling it forward, the African beat and backing vocals are the closest thing on the disc
to World Music.
The disc is a generous 53 minutes, as Rybak has included a lot of music and no song is short or
perfunctory. “Today” is an example, a personal folk song about his struggle, given depth by Pruess’
percussion and reverb and a couple of haunting trumpet fills; it lasts over five minutes but doesn’t seem too
long. Rybak scores with a lightweight, jazzy ballad on “Anything Less Than Love.” It is up-tempo and
catchy: “Eyes are on the road ahead/ It’s calling out to you in the distance/ what you dare and what you
choose.”
“Money to Be Made” is the most interesting and probably most creative track on the album. Told from the
viewpoint of a whaler, Rybak makes a great storyboard about the hunt on the water, where: “The first
shot’s for keeps and the blood turns the water to wine/ The silver and gold, if you do what you’re told,
come payday you’re doing just fine.” The production makes this another highlight, as flute and keyboards
create whale sounds and hammered dulcimer helps make the sound drip with water. The disc wraps with
“Evening Is Falling,” a soft child’s lullaby, and an ideal way to close this album of Mike Rybak’s
endearing music.