Americana Music Reviews

 

Some Guy Named Robb
The Irresponsible Years
Self Released

by Al Kunz

You've got to love a band whose name could be a line from a "Who's on First?" parody. It turns out that isn't far from reality. Songwriter Robb McCormick started out playing bars and coffeehouses under his own name. McCormick thought his name was boring, but a better option hadn't come to mind. Then one night a patron asked an absentminded and already drunken bartender who was playing that night. You can guess the rest. Later, when McCormick started performing as a duo with Ben Smith, the moniker stuck. Although once again performing as a solo act, McCormick is sticking with the name. This disc was recorded while the duo was still a going concern and includes contributions from other musicians. Who knows what the future will bring? At any point Some Guy Named Robb may be a solo act, a duo, or even a full band.

McCormick's music falls in the adult alternative with folk leanings camp, roughly the same ballpark as David Gray, Kevin Salem, and Shawn Colvin. While the disc was recorded in a studio, McCormick and Smith were aiming for a live feel and skipped lots of the common recording tricks, instead opting for a mostly live-in-the-studio approach. Love songs predominate. Some are introspective and have slow tempos, but generally resist falling into sappy love ballad territory. "Baby, It Feels Like I'm Losing You" could easily have fallen into this trap. Instead the vocals are slow-paced with a soulful groove. At the end of the track, a voice over the intercom asks, "Hey Robb, is that supposed to be the sad song?"

My favorite cut is "Express Lane Love," a quirky, comic song of unrequited love. The shy protagonist of the song is obsessed with the express lane checker at the grocery store. He buys a few things each day so he can see her, hoping he'll eventually build up courage for more. He wants to ask for her phone number, but fears he "can't afford that much stuff." Throughout the song we hear in-store pages for price checks and such.

I'm in love with the grocery store girl
She doesn't even know I'm alive
It's twelve items or less or I don't get to see her
So I find my groceries one at a time

This express lane love is killin' me
Yes indeed

My daughter hears a similarity to the Dave Matthews Band in some of the songs. You will too, especially on disc opener "One More for the Passengers." On the surface this is the story of the sinking of the Titanic. Dig a bit deeper and we find a subtext that raises questions about responsibility to others and what is an acceptable risk.

What ship was still that was built by fools
Just who wrote the book and who broke the rules
What standard keeps at the stroke of midnight
What kind of thing and now comes to life

And it's one more for the passengers
And it's one more for the captain
And it's one more for the things I've said
And it's one more for the things I've done

I'm biased against love ballads. When Paul McCartney wondered if the world really needed more "Silly Love Songs," I thought he raised a good point. McCartney concluded that it didn't matter because he couldn't help himself. He had to write them anyway. If "love makes the world go 'round," then songwriters will continue writing love songs. And they should. I'll even listen to some. The way to catch my ear is to go easy on the syrup. Skip the whiny vocals. If the song has to have a slow tempo, make sure the vocals have enough passion (without over-emoting into Michael Bolton territory) and the music enough energy to keep me awake. The result might sound like Some Guy Named Robb's "Hard to Be a Saint."

You don't have to hide yourself from me
You don't have to find someone to be
You don't have to show me who you are
Where you're going or even where you came from

We never had a chance, we never had a prayer
We just built this out of promises and thin air
All those times we had of being good or bad
It slipped away before we knew what we had

"Romance is Dead" is a satirical look at romance. A troubled love life has convinced his friend of the death of romance. He voices his agreement, saying the "house of love has been boarded up" and "the angels have all gone home." But while doing this, he's also romancing her with flowers and song.

Romance is dead
But I'll sing you off to sleep
Just put your heart in my hand
And I'll lay my kiss down upon your cheek

Even though the number of love songs on The Irresponsible Years exceeds my normal tolerance, I was drawn in by McCormick's willingness to stretch the norms of the love song mold, allowing his sense of humor and a bit of the absurd to show through. Kind of like real life where nothing is as black and white as the typical love song would have us believe.

*The Irresponsible Years can be purchased at www.someguynamedrobb.com Listen to the sample of "Romance is Dead" if you're having an indecisive moment.

Contact Al Kunz at kunz-at-rockzilla.net

 
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