Chris Robeson – Euphoriphobia
Well, the vocals are intrinsic & well applied – it doesn’t immediately sound like anyone peddling their song wares out on the pavement nowadays. The voice has a slight tinge of Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) but not as deep. The vocals make the interest level go up a few notches since it’s a peculiarity from a prodigiously gifted artist.
With “Built to Fall Apart,” & “Fistful of Cash,” leading off one will wonder what these songs are about. The old-fashioned stereo separation brought a grin to my face. Robeson won’t be the next Billy Joel, Elton John, or Bruce Springsteen, but he’ll be (or should be) swimming in the vocal consciousness of many the way David Byrne (Talking Heads), Peter Garrett (Midnight Oil) & Robyn Hitchcock (The Soft Boys) do. Robeson has pleasant melodies & good ideas that lift him from being for some — weird. It isn’t so much that he’s different, not with vocals as attractive as on “Wanderin’” – this is no novelty act.
Produced by Chris (acoustic guitar/lead vocals/bgv) & Gabriel Rhodes (electric & acoustic guitars/steel guitar/mandolin/sitar/piano/keys/erhu/flute/horns/percussion/bgv) the 13 songs were recorded in Austin, TX & built for Euphoriphobia (Drops July 19/Independent/39:29). They have substance, sustenance & in many ways, charm.
Chris tries to be different from the other birds in the musical sky. His songs don’t ramble for 6 minutes – he gets to the point quickly, lays down his creativity & gets out. Comparisons are obvious through the thicket of artists who throw curve balls with their material: the Tom Waits variety, Syd Barrett era “Piper At the Gates of Dawn” that can be found on songs like “Fool’s Gold” as the harmonica takes a crooked walk through the thistles of the melody. It’s quirky but it has such a magnetic appeal.
Subjects are intense: depression, redemption, isolation, anxiety, substance abuse & emotions that go deep, too deep & some with humor. Miraculously, Robeson channels his temporary demons by putting them to work in his music whether they like it or not. He conducts their performance with strict resolve until there’s something he can show an angel & then there’s “Held You.” Wow.
I think Chris has music that runs through his veins & can’t be distracted. The songs are filled with morsels of optimism. “Everything Goes,” is a well-composed poetic tune somewhat reminiscent of the 1934 Cole Porter tune “Anything Goes” & it’s a good closing winner.
Highlights – “Built to Fall Apart,” “Fistful of Cash,” “Home In the Rain,” “Wanderin,’” “Fool’s Gold,” “Held You,” “Right Back Down” & “Everything Goes.”
Musicians – Matt Slagle (bass), Josh Flowers (double bass/strings), Guy Forsyth (harmonica/saw/bgv), John Chipman (drums/percussion/foley sounds/bgv), Oliver Steck (harmonica/trumpet), Shawn Pander (bgv/dog bark) & Ilya Janos Kolozs (percussion).
B&W image courtesy of his website gallery. CD @ Amazon + https://chrisrobeson.com/home
Song premiere: https://americanahighways.org/2024/05/28/song-premiere-chris-robeson-home-in-the-rain/
