Robben Ford - Supernatural

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Music reviews of Supernatural

Music Review: An artist in transition
Rating: 3 Stars

The musicianship on the album is, naturally, top flight. And there are plenty of stellar guitar solos to escape into. My main struggle is that the songwriting doesn't keep pace. Over his career, Robben has penned some solid tunes (When I Leave Here from Handful of Blues is my personal favorite), but on balance, I'm partial to the covers he's done. While I don't dislike Supernatural, and it's grown on me somewhat after a dozen or so listenings, I haven't found myself particularly drawn to it either. (Because I'm a longtime fan of Robben's I gave this CD many more spins than I might have otherwise.)

Still I applaud him for trying new things -- especially string arrangements! I'd get bored if he were to release nothing but Blue Line-esque albums. (I must admit though, that my favorite song on Supernatural is the Blue Line-esque "Nothing to Nobody" -- not an example of Robben exploring new territories.) The songs on Supernatural are nice, but I can't imagine anyone rushing to cover any of them. Many of the songs are reminiscent of other aritists: I hear strains of Steely Dan and even later Steve Winwood, but there's nothing here that's bold or original.

The new album's lyrics would suggest that this is the most personal expression of Robben's feelings to date, but beyond having read about his musical influences and his equipment preferences, I don't know enough about Robben to connect the sentiment of his lyrics to the man himself. It's not like listening to Eric Clapton's latest confessional album, where the void left by a less-than-great song is filled in by his personal history which is pretty much a matter of public record these days. With Robben, I know he's a really likeable guy, but he's not exactly a public figure. He seems very shy to me. Without the personal connection, the lyrics, though heartfelt, come off as boilerplate. Maybe it's time to set up the Barabara Walters interview. (Just kidding.)

I have no idea what kind of sales figures Robben's albums have generated but judging from the number of listener's reviews at amazon.com I'm guessing that Talk to Your Daughter is his best-selling album, and the one for which he is best known. TTYD is all covers except for two songs. Almost 12 years after its release, Robben has yet to find a songwriting voice equal to that of his guitar playing abilities.

Demographically, Robben's appeal is as a musician's musician. This is pretty obvious to anyone who attends one of his shows. Robben is a far way off from mainstream appeal. It remains to be seen whether Susan Rogers' production will do for Supernatural what she accomplished for the Barenaked Ladies and their recent huge success in the US, but it seems clear that with this album Robben is intent on his broadening his profile. Supernatural has been advertised in the NYC media more prominently than I can recall any of his past albums.

Am I alone in my observation that the most songwriting comes easier to those musicians who aren't virtuosos at their instruments? The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Carole King, Sting, Jimmy Webb, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John are a very short list that immediately come to mind. Certainly there are exceptions: Eric Clapton (though he's no RF), Billy Joel (he's got serious keyboard chops) are successful songwriters who are often considered virtuosos. By and large though, monster instrumentalists tend not to be monster songwriters -- not in the rock/pop realm anyway.

Anyway, I'm not through yet with Supernatural; hopefully it will continue to grow on me.

Description of Supernatural

Blues CDs

• Music > Styles
• Jazz
• Pop
• Rock