In "Hidden Charms" Rick Shaffer follows the path that he took with his first album "Necessary Illusion" released in 2010.  The record contains 10 tracks that all represent a 1960’s mood and vibe.

What catches attention is a hypnotic beat of percussion, really powerful fuzz-toned guitar and numerous solos, delivered by Shaffer, that’s heard in every track.  If you add his vocal, changing from bluesy and soulful to rock and roll strong, it makes a good, and worth noticing, album.

Tracks like "No Big Thing," with a powerful guitar solo and tambourine jingle, "Shadow Line," "Crime of Love," or "The Stranger" with rocker thick atmosphere, strongly prove that "Hidden Charms" includes songs that could definitely satisfy every listener with an appetite for '60’s music.

"Buy And Sell" is the piece especially worth mentioning, since it's catchiness and guitar hook, with a strong and rhythmic vocal, gets stuck in your head.

You can feel the groove of these times and enjoy rock, blues and soul music mixed together in one album.

• Barb Adamczyk-Mitka, Rock On! Magazine, 2011