It’s mostly every young musician’s dream to take off from home and explore a wild beyond. Maybe shut themselves off from civilization and privately hone in on skills, practicing and hoping the results of their journey are eventually worth a damn in the long run and/or the short run, depending on the musician.
In pop rock singer/songwriter/guitarist Joe Robinson’s case, home is Australia and his secluded great beyond are various Nashville studios after winning Australia’s Got Talent in 2008 afforded him the opportunity to jump an ocean and create a name for himself here in the U.S. Unfortunately, the teenager’s journey lyrically gassed his second full length Let Me Introduce You, released in late January out of a hodgepodge of production units across our capital as the album documents every step of the way (travelling, missing home, finding new opportunities once here as a young man does) with the only redeemable substance being youthful confidence, his fingers and a stage as an outlet on these adventure-inspired 13 tracks.
Categorically, Let Me Introduce You falls into the pop adult-contemporary the way a jammish Train would if N’SYNC’s baby-voiced Justin Timberlake led them, but there are a few moments that have the notion of a bluesy Shut Up and Play Your Guitar. But just a notion. On tracks like the opener entitled “Lethal Injection,” the guy’s fingers are on fire, as well as on the latter album’s “Uli’s Jump” (both instrumentals), hearing him sprint through scales while others such as “Skyline” show off high canter chiming. The guy can chime sweetness out of a guitar and does so through others like “The Gremlin.” It’s not for sure if that’s an ode to a car he’s driving for now or if it’s the nickname for his hand but either would be pretty funny.
It’s notable Robinson is a skilled guitarist supported by Nashvillian studio musicians’ walking bass, tempo-assistant drums, rare backup vocals and a punching organ every now and again.
Robinson is slowly touring around between here and Texas throughout March, but will be performing at the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room at 7 p.m. on March 28 on the MTSU campus with hip hop duo Call It Dope. Tickets are going for $3 for students and $5 for nonstudents of all ages.
Let Me Introduce You can be found through Amazon and iTunes or joerobinson.com.
