Search - Bruce Robison :: Eleven Stories

Yet another stellar album by this masterful singer/songwrite

DanD | 04/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bruce Robison has a knack. I'm not quite sure what it is, but it exists. Whatever it is, it allows him to tap into raw emotion, brutal honesty--to grab your heart with a lyric and smooth vocals, wrench it out of your chest, give it a lecture on heartbreak, and then put it back safe and sound. A rather gruesome analogy, perhaps, but that's how I feel after I listen to a Bruce Robison album--whether it's one I'm listening to for the first time, such as ELEVEN STORIES, or one I've owned for years.



The songs on this album are, indeed, stories. Stories about love and loss, about moving through life and doing what you have to. His own originals continue the melancholy, this-is-the-way-it-is theme of his previous effort, COUNTRY SUNSHINE, and are just as good as the tunes on that marvelous album. There's the desperate "Days Go By" (don't you dare confuse this with the Keith Urban song; if you do, there is no reason why you should be reading this review, or even purchasing this album), the whimsical "You Really Let Yourself Go," the whistful "Every Once in A While." His choice of covers--"Tennessee Jed," "More and More," and "Bandera Waltz"--come off sounding just as good as his own tunes. The overall effect is yet another masterpiece by one of today's best singer/songwriters. Combining traditional and cutting edge folk with raw, unbridled country music, Robison continues to craft music that skirts the edges of Nashville mainstream, but proves itself just as good--even better, in most instances--than the music of his mainstream peers. If you're not already a fan of Robison's music, ELEVEN STORIES is a fine place to start. If you ARE a fan of his music...then why are you reading this? You already know you're getting a great album. Buy it already!!!"

Finely crafted songs from terrific Texas tunesmith

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 04/26/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Robison's career as a songwriter (Dixie Chicks' "Travellin' Soldier," Tim McGraw's "Angry All the Time," etc.) has always overshadowed his own recorded work in commercial circles. This latest collection of eleven tunes (eight of which are originals), played and sung in his typically laid-back manner, isn't likely to reverse that equation. Robison's a pleasing singer, but he doesn't have the head-turning voice of his wife (Kelly Willis, who provides additional vocals here) or the magnetic star-quality of his brother (Charlie), and though his trio of bands (neatly annotated as to which appears on each track) provide strong support, the home-spun productions occasionally sound more like demos than finished mixes.



That said, Robison's fans buy his albums for the songs, and he's certainly delivered another strong set, including well-picked covers of The Grateful Dead ("Tennessee Jed," sporting a Jerry Garcia styled vocal), Webb Pierce ("More and More," as a duet with Willis that is a vocal highlight), and the hometown swing chestnut "Bandera Waltz." Robison's originals are beautifully crafted observations of life, including the dark first-person voice of homelessness, "Days Go By," and the weary end-of-romance "All Over But the Cryin'." The latter is a perfect example of Robison's craft, at home in this indie skin, but itching for a more polished chart-bound Nashville production.



Robison can crank up the Texas honky-tonk, as on the two-stepping "You Really Let Yourself Go," but his heart is clearly that of a folky, with "Every Once in A While" playing warm reminiscences against the cold realities of lost love, "I Never Fly" sung low and intimate, and "Kitchen Blues" turned inward and contemplative. All in all, a compelling set of songs, many of which match Robison's low-key performances, and several of which await more highly produced reinterpretations. [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]"