Album Reviews
‘Saint Jude’ the debut album from Robin James (October 22, 2009)
Here’s an album that's different with
a capital ‘D’. I’d go so far to say it’s different from anything that you’ve
heard before. Especially that voice – ‘slight’ springs to mind, ‘haunting’ fits
it well, then again, so does ‘fragile’. To be honest some people that walked
in while it was playing asked if it was a female voice.
So what do we have with this album? A little slice of ‘Donovan
meets Gilbert O’Sullivan’ maybe with added ‘Bolan’, then perhaps a touch of Arlo
Guthrie on the side. That’s difficult to imagine but that’s the image this
album conjures. The album in question is ‘Saint Jude’ the debut album from
Robin James. A gentle journey of insecure introspection.
There’s a raw feel to the album, probably because
it was recorded in one day. There’s certainly minimal production so the
music stands or falls on its own merits. The lyrics are thoughtful and the
guitar strangely delicate. There’s also an unsettling ‘elsewhere’ feel that lingers
long after the songs finish. ‘Saint Jude’ opens and immediately you’re into
Robin’s ethereal world, ‘Postcard’ continues the precarious journey as does ‘Alive
That’s All’ and ‘Lie Down’. ‘Van Gogh’ is a one sided discussion of inventive
lyrics that ask the artist about depression. Then ‘Rag Doll Girl’ reaches
beyond Robin’s tender sound and even generates a little punch.
This will not be everyone’s favourite. It needs not so much an
acquired taste as an open mind. This album needs listening to, and more than
once. It demands effort and not everyone will make the attempt. And that’s a
pity, because they should.
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