Aaron Robinson isn't rebuilding the wheel, but that's quite all right. I first heard of Mr. Robinson when I received Revive, the final record by his excellent and painfully underrated band, Imaginary Baseball League. It reminded me of a mix of Radiohead and Whiskeytown, and I listened to the album a LOT. I even included the song "Statistics" on an mp3 sampler. I saw him perform live, solo acoustic in Arkansas, and it was a really good show. I liked his music well enough that I didn't want to introduce myself; that distance keeps your idealism safe.
Well, jump ahead four years, and Robinson has released his solo debut, We Are Racing Ghosts. It's a wonderful collection of modern singer/songwriter fare; I'm reminded of Ryan Adams, but Robinson is a pretty powerful singer with a style that's clearly his own. Whether it's the rocking, should-be-a-AAA-format hit "Dreamers Dream" to the dark ballads of "Dreamers and Preachers" or "I Won't Stop," Aaron's songwriting is strong and arrangements are compelling, making his songs stand out from the chaff of most 'singer/songwriter' fare.
I don't listen to as much singer/songwriter/alt.country-type stuff as much as I used to, but for Robinson I make an exception. I'm not too far off in saying that Aaron has a voice and songwriting style that deserves to be big, that deserves the deals, that deserves the NPR radio play. We Are Racing Ghosts is a wonderfully quiet jewel of a record; for those who know its beauty, they know the reward. Robinson is an underrated talent; hopefully, this debut will start to change that.
Listen to: "Dreamers Dream"
We Are Racing Ghosts is available now on Undertow MusicLabels: Aaron Robinson, reviews r, Undertow Music |
