Keith Robinson
>> Potent Resonance
I put off listening to this cd for a while. The jagged head of the Jackson guitar on the cover just gave me the heebie-jeebies. For, you see, I am a Jazzmaster man and no longer one for the sustain-loaded scream of the ‘heavy metal’ section of yer average guitar catalogue.
But listen I did, and it’s not all that bad. Mr Robinson is a guitarist of quite virtuosic abilities and the three tracks here show his talent for a) rockin’ riffs, b) gentle acoustic Led Zep-spiked folk and c) ladling generous layers of ripping solos upon all and sundry.
The problem is that this is where it ends. There are no vocals (thus no lyrics) and this leads the listener to work a little harder when looking for a song structure. Within the chords and the solos there are, no doubt, melodies a-plenty – it’s a shame he doesn’t work with a co-writer to generate lyrics and add some vocals. It’s not epic instrumentals in the vein of the Mogwai or Oceansize mould we’re dealing with here; the emotion of the song isn’t being fully translated by the music.
Given the right voice and the right lyrics this is a cd that would certainly tempt people back for multiple listens; sadly, as it stands, it’s a one-off novelty.
>> Russell Moore
www.myspace.com/robinsonkeith
I put off listening to this cd for a while. The jagged head of the Jackson guitar on the cover just gave me the heebie-jeebies. For, you see, I am a Jazzmaster man and no longer one for the sustain-loaded scream of the ‘heavy metal’ section of yer average guitar catalogue.
But listen I did, and it’s not all that bad. Mr Robinson is a guitarist of quite virtuosic abilities and the three tracks here show his talent for a) rockin’ riffs, b) gentle acoustic Led Zep-spiked folk and c) ladling generous layers of ripping solos upon all and sundry.
The problem is that this is where it ends. There are no vocals (thus no lyrics) and this leads the listener to work a little harder when looking for a song structure. Within the chords and the solos there are, no doubt, melodies a-plenty – it’s a shame he doesn’t work with a co-writer to generate lyrics and add some vocals. It’s not epic instrumentals in the vein of the Mogwai or Oceansize mould we’re dealing with here; the emotion of the song isn’t being fully translated by the music.
Given the right voice and the right lyrics this is a cd that would certainly tempt people back for multiple listens; sadly, as it stands, it’s a one-off novelty.
>> Russell Moore
www.myspace.com/robinsonkeith
