Robinella
Issue #26
Solace for the Lonely (Dualtone)
By Stephanie Kinnear
Published: December 1st, 2005 | 3:52pm
If, through some miracle of modern science, Billie Holiday and Dolly Parton got together, mixed their chromosomes, then tossed in just a few strands of Janis Joplin’s DNA, the resulting musical lovechild’s name would be Robinella. Sounds intriguing, potentially enticing, but just a little confusing, right? For the most part, that’s exactly what Robinella’s latest, Solace for the Lonely, is: beautiful but strange.
Although Robinella’s voice is elastic, soulful, and somewhat indescribable, there is no denying that it sounds best when supported by banjos and mandolins, not jazz guitar and drums played with brushes. Solace could have been a disaster — mixing bluegrass and soft jazz is a dicey endeavor — but it’s not. When Robinella sticks to her bluegrass roots, like on “Down the Mountain” and “Whippin’ Wind,” the result is rich and gorgeously arranged, even when she incorporates a bluesy swagger into a tin-pan alley sort of jig on “I Fall in Love as Much as I Can,” and even when she channels Janis Joplin on Melanie Safka’s “Brand New Key.” It’s when Robinella abandons her twang entirely and turns into a scatting, lounge-singer on “All I’ve Given,” that the result is more disjointed.
Patchy moments aside, in the end, Solace for the Lonely is the perfect vehicle for Robinella’s stunning vocals. And on “Waiting,” an easy, jazzy, Sunday-morning kind of song, she succeeds in blending the Billie and Dolly influences perfectly. Her musical mommies would certainly be proud.
Comments
Please login to be able to comment on this article.
more