for The Band album reviews, click here
Robbie Robertson albums
As the primary songwriter for the Band, Robbie Robertson helped cement a sound that would then be called Roots Rock and later be known as Americana, both terms for genres that just sort of mean Country-esqe rock music. After the Band called it quits in the late 1970’s, Robertson took some time off to devout his time to soundtracks (most Martin Scorsese movies- look it up) and eventually at 44 in 1987 he started his own solo career. Like Paul Simon before him and Peter Gabriel as a contemporary, he loved to survey other cultures on his solo albums- The Native American people on his debut Robbie Robertson and subsequent solos, and the American south on Storyville and of course his work with The Band.
I am part Native American myself, my childhood is filled with these memories of going to ceremonies and fun gatherings in Kansas, Texas and some in Alabama as well. My family had many kinds of Native American in us and I always felt some kind of energy surging through me, a similarity to what Robertson channels in his highly emotive solo records. He never stopped evolving and trying new styles up until his death in 2023.
1987
ROBBIE ROBERTSON – 92%
First off, everyone seems to want this album to sound like something its not. People hear this is Robertson’s debut album and they think “this will sound like The Band” or “like an album from Dylan or the early 1970’s singer songwriters.” If one gives it a fair shot they will see it for what it is: an album with plenty of great songs, made by the most distinctive producer of the 1980’s. The first half of the album shows off a wide variety of range in Robertson: from the ethereal “Fallen Angel” where Robertson hits some insane high notes; the sudden shift changes in “Showdown at Big Sky”; “Broken Arrow” is a folk song of deep introspection, and the way Robertson delivers it moves the soul; “Sweet Fire of Love” cuts loose in a rocking way that is bombastic and detailed. These songs alone convey a mix of multiple Native American styles and showcases Robertson as a diverse vocalist.
The second half of the album fares well too, with “Hell’s Half Acre” being another bruising rocker; “Somewhere down this Crazy River” harking back to the storytelling ways of 1950’s jazz and lounge vocalists and evoking a moody atmosphere; and “Sonny got Caught in the Moonlight” being a gripping tale told in a folk rock style much like “Broken Arrow”. The only tracks that suffer from dated 1980’s qualities are “American Roulette” and “Testimony”, but the former is still a decent rock tune. While it is obvious that Daniel Lanios’ production takes over any album he produces (So by Peter Gabriel, Joshua Tree by U2, This is the Ice Age by Martha and the Muffins, Forth World by Jon Hassall), and that this album guests many stars and friends of the time era (U2, BoDeans), the songs themselves are Robbie’s. Also, he came before ANY of them, so I can’t fault the guy for absorbing new sounds. Personally, I feel if this sounded like The Last Waltz part 2, it would be a lame retread. But it’s not, it is a genius debut solo album by one of the best songwriters of all time.
Greatest Songs: Broken Arrow, Fallen Angel, Sonny Got Caught in the Moonlight, Hell’s Half Acre
1991
Storyville - 82%
Robertson’s second solo album continues much in the vein of his first, with some songs echoing his others very obviously: “Hold Back the dawn” has the same majestic feel of “Broken Arrow” and is almost as good; the slightly corny “Soap Box Preacher” channels the speak-talk of “Somewhere Down This Crazy River”; “What About Now” has something of “Fallen Angel” with a more traditional AOR sound; “Go Back to Your Woods” is co-written by Bruce Hornsby/sang sounds like a throwback to the Band’s first couple of albums (I just imagine Levon Helm singing it) and it was a fairly big hit (I didn’t realize I had heard this song before but it struck a memory in me) and has a huge soul music element, or I guess at this point we would call it roots-rock or Americana. The thing Robertson seems to be interested in on the record, which might be obvious from the title, is channeling the whole history of American music throughout each song on the album. Each song touches a different kind of music: “Soap Box Preacher” is his take on folk music, where “ Shake This Town“ tells us something great about feeling hopeful about living life.
Robertson has a way of reaching into our souls with his music, now he has developed into a veery interesting singer and refined it to the point as he approached 50 years old. It sounds relaxed and natural, which makes since Robertson basically invented what we call years later “Americana” with his time in the Band in the late 1960s. Still, if the songs weren’t great none of this would matter, and man can he write some great songs- like his contemporary John Fogarty there is just this earthy quality to his music that is hard to deny. It helps that The Meters and the Neville Brothers back up many of the songs, where the American South is efficiently portrayed. Even more than the debut, some of it has dated poorly in production that sounds super late80s/early-90s. Also about half of these songs range from fair to good, and don’t quite match Robertson’s high standards especially on the second half. Still, channeling your heritage and childhood as much as this soul-seeking songwriter does will result in some naïve sounding music at times, and most of the times Robbie still manages to pull us in and move our emotions. I still love so many songs on here, strangely of its time but also completely separate from the Grunge rock of its time. “Song of the Rainbow” is strangely traditional, like his version of a church hymnal, I recognize some flaws ot it….but its still wins me over in the end.
Greatest Songs: Soap Box Preacher, Hold Back the Dawn, Shake This Town, Go Back to Your Woods
Sidenote: Robertson had some other interesting albums after this, in variant levels of quality: Music for the Native Americans (1994) and Sinematic (2019) a companion piece to Scorsese’s movie The Irishman.