Robben Ford Discussion

BlueRunner · Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 2:54 pm Post subject: Letter to Blues Revue Magazine

As we all use "nomes de guitar" on this forum, I'm not sure which of you wrote a letter that appears in the new (Dec 07-Jan 0 Cool

edition of Blues Revue, responding to a review of "Truth" in the next-earlier edition. Whoever you are, thanks. Well said. My sentiments exactly.
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- BlueRunner

JohnnyZ · Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:50 am Post subject:

BR, can you post it here (with permission, of course)?

BlueRunner · Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 6:36 pm Post subject:

Sorry this has taken a while. I'd hoped to do some fancy-pants image or something, but here it is the old-fashioned way:

In the Dec/Jan 2008 issue (Vol. 9), p. 5, from Tom Bryant of Northhampton, PA, under the headline "ROBBEN: ROBBED?":

"I must take issue with Hal Horowitz's comments on the new, excellent Robben Ford disc [Truth, October/November]. Ford doesn't have a typical blues voice, but his vocals are quite expressive and fit his music beautifully. What really hit me was Horowitz's description of Ford's songwriting: he uses words such as "embarrassing" and "ear-cringing." No way! I'm blown away by the song "Riley B. King"; yes, it might be "simplistic," but blues tunes (and B.B.'s guitar style are simplistic, in the best sense of the word."

Tom: Whoever you are (e.g., are you lurking right here on this BBS?), thanks and well said.[/i]
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- BlueRunner

AndyR · Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:55 am Post subject:

I say, let's hear some of Hal Horowitz's songs!!! Razz

Andy

patfitz · Member Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 36

Robben doesn't have a typical blues voice cause
1. he aint black.
2. he's a tenor not a baritone or bass.
Given that I really dig his voice.
I think he has some great phrasing.
Plus, he usually plays rythm and lead at the
same time he's singing. He appears to really believe
the lyrics he is singing. So he isn't a poser in any sense.
Rock on Robben! I really like the new album.

Most Critics are just wannabees

BlueRunner · Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 10:10 am Post subject:

patfitz: Thanks for the insights. While not a perfoming musician, I have a lifetime of experience playing instruments, going back to about age 8, including cello, bass (classical and electric), guitar, mandolin, and even a couple of years in college when I worked on trumet and baritone horn, but it wasn't until about four years ago that (probably as part of a late-50's midlife crisis) that I took a couple of years of voice lessons. Wow, the human voice just isn't that easy an instrument! (37 years ago I sang in a university chorus. The Director is now the Dean of Arts & Sciences at the university. When I saw him two years ago and told him I'd been taking voice lessons he replied, "Oh thank goodness ... at last.") This is windy and self-centered introduction to a topic I asked Robben about at one of his clinics, his work with Anne's vocal coach, and his answer was really fascinating. He works hard on his voice. Very, very hard. And if you compare is current vocals to things he recorded 20 years ago, it knocks one's socks off. He has a great approach to vocals, and the results show.

In the end, it's a case of using your vocal instrument to enhance your storytelling. Another example is Laurie Morvan. She's a guitar whiz first, a college engineering professor second, and, in my opinion a vocalist third, but a couple of songs on her latest album really move my wife, and recently when we were listening to one of those songs I made some sort of remark about Morvan's voice not necessarily being up to the material and my wife cut me off at the knees, telling me that she thought that for the material, Morvan had a "wonderful" voice.

By the way, re Robben being a tenor. I guess I'm a ten-a-tone. Or a bari-nor. The folks who listen to me doing his songs (e.g., wife an family) are happiest when I drop the key a full step. We do a lot of Robben's tunes in A-flat around our house.
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Cheebatone · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 8:07 am Post subject:

Lyrically, 'Riley.B.King' is cringe-makingly awful. However, 'Truth' is my favourite album of Robben's for some time and I can stand to have the odd not-so-great track on an album. Just because we're all fans of the man, doesn't mean we have to defend him at all costs. We can't expect every tune to be a mind-blowing experience. So, 'Riley.B.King' is a bit of a duff tune - so what? The world's not going to stop spinning...

Besides, 'Nobody's Fault But Mine' and 'You're Gonna Need A Friend' (the tracks either side of 'Riley...') are both absolute belters!
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I first started to play guitar 35 years ago... Trouble is, I had 20 years off in the middle.

frank0936 · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 8:13 am Post subject: It takes two?

Wasn't "Riley B. King" a collaborative effort with Robben and Keb' Mo? I agree with an earlier post that said it's very hard to write a tribute song and not sound at least a little cheesy. I don't think I could do it, and I have co-written a few songs. I still like the song and the more I listen to it, the more I like it. I like it better than the version on Keb' Mo's album just because RF gets to play more. The Keb' Mo version just left me wanting more.
Frank

FatTeleTom · Senior Member Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 191

For what it's worth, I like "Riley B. King" quite a bit, and my wife really loves it.

I do understand why it might strike some as cheesy. It walks a fine line I suppose, but it's far from awful in my opinion. To paraphrase another song on the album, one man's cheese is another man's heartfelt emotional expression.

Overall, I've really come to like "Truth" a lot. Can't wait to hear some of these tunes live.

(and no, I'm not the "Tom" that wrote the letter)

Millibobs · Senior Member Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 291

At the end of a fine meal, they always serve some quality cheese. In this case, it comes as an earlier course, but is quite delicious. Robben's voice, the more I listen to it, reminds me of Boz Scaggs at his best. In fact, he is two singers in one, because his guitar does quite a bit of crooning. I would say that my playing whilst amateur, is in the 'pretty decent' category and so, like many of you guys, I know when I hear something that is just sublime and though I have many other influences and people I like to listen to, I am staggered by what Robben has managed to achieve. I think Hal's review was possible tinged with humour - he knows how good Robben is too but we can't have too many rave reviews can we!

Riley B King is also laced with humour - every time I spin this track, I hear more subtle BB inflections, nods and winks to the great man. It's much more than a tribute - it's one top player paying his respects to another and I absolutely bloody love it......

JohnnyZ · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:14 pm Post subject:

>> For what it's worth, I like "Riley B. King" quite a bit, and my wife really loves it.

I'm of the side that isn't crazy at all about Riley B. King. However, the above comments have me thinking to play it for my wife, who's not a crazy/rabid Robben Ford fan like me, to get her feel for the song. In 2 days, Thanksgiving Day for us in the US, we'll be in the family vehicle for about 8 hours round trip, and I'll give it the test. But, either way, it won't make a difference cause it is what is it is to whoever it is to... Wink

I'm guessing that she'll really like it, even love it... Smile

nineacres · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 12:05 am Post subject:

Everytime I play "Truth" and "Riley B. King" comes on, my wife always says "I like this song". Personally, I don't mind it. It's true the words are a little obvious, but I love the overall arrangement of the song, and the solos. I really wasn't too sure about this album at first, but after listening to it many times I really think there is a lot of maturity here - it reminds me of my reaction to Eric Clapton's Pilgrim album when it first came out.
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