Bruce Robison
Eleven Stories

(Sustain)

First Appeared in The Music Box, March 2006, Volume 13, #3

Written by John Metzger

Eleven Stories is Bruce Robison’s fifth album, and much like its predecessor Country Sunshine, the collection is a relaxed and easy-going endeavor that slips past the listener in a remarkably unassuming fashion. In fact, with understated vocals, soft touches of pedal steel, and tasteful electric guitar riding over a bed of gentle, acoustic instrumentation, much of the effort initially reveals itself to be no different from any other singer/songwriter-oriented set. Even when he dabbles in roots-rock — as he does on the buoyant refrains of Virginia — the result is comfortably familiar. What sets Robison apart from his peers and makes his outings worth their weight in gold, however, is that he knows precisely how to convey the emotion of his chosen material without resorting to overwrought and highly gimmicky arrangements, and taken in full, Eleven Stories resonates with a quiet, devastating sadness. Be it the salvation he hopes to find within the Grateful Dead’s Tennessee Jed; the shattered relationship he can’t move past on Every Once in a While; or the tale of a former family man who finds himself hooked on drugs, living on the street, and begging for change in Days Go By, Robison reaches deep inside himself to paint a simple but honest portrait of the human condition. Consequently, Eleven Stories hits harder than most like-minded affairs because it sprang from his heart rather than from a focus group. ½

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Ratings

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2006 The Music Box