Category Archives: reviews

e.p. review from the states

Posted on by
1

A lady who goes by the name of ‘Tart’ has written a nice review of my e.p. on the blog:

I Correct Myself, I Mean All The Time

“Well, my weekend was brightened by an email from a wonderful musician who tracked me down from a comment over on Matthew’s ‘Song By Toad’ blog. Robin inquired as to my whereabouts to send a cd and being as I am already swooning over his chocolatey smooth voice and gorgeous folksy tunes, I guess I’ll begrudgingly share him with you.

His cover of Kirsty MacColl’s ‘There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis’ is wonderful. When I first heard Kirsty’s song, sung by her, I wasn’t a great fan of it. The twangy, country style threw me and I didn’t listen for the words and catch the meaning. The title just seemed funny and as a new listener to her work, I thought, “oh those silly Brits!”. Of course when you listen to the words you realize it’s a sad, might-I-lose-love? song. And it sometimes takes a good cover to get you to really hear a song, ya know? Now I hear our lovely Kirsty sing it and I get it. So thanks Robin, and I adore your version too.”

from http://www.euphonioushabitus.net/blog/

song by toad e.p. review

Posted on by
1

Matthew, aka Mr Song By Toad, has written some lovely things about my recent e.p. on his blog. I know some of you already read it but if you haven’t yet, have a look, it’s a gem.

“Robin is, I suspect, not the only one (who loves Leonard Cohen – ed).

I really liked his recent album Only the Missile and this appears to a rather lovely little inbetweeny EP. There’s a gorgeous atmosphere to Robin’s stuff that I can’t quite put my finger on. He has a deep, reassuring voice and a calming, unhurried delivery which seems to bring a familiar ease to his sound.

Add a splash of female backing vocals and what was simply really nice becomes bloody gorgeous. The title track is a lovely reminiscence on the transience of music taste, and the pleasant self-indulgence of nostalgia. The cover of the superb Kirsty MacColl song There’s a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis is as good as the original, in an odd way. And then there’s Shakes & Shudders. Christ this is lovely. If I’ve heard a more intimate, weary song in ages I couldn’t name it: just fucking gorgeous.”

http://songbytoad.com/2008/11/19/robin-grey-i-love-leonard/

You can download it here and buy it here

the last show of the year

Posted on by
Reply

I have my last show of the year this thursday at Iktoms in Camden – my twelfth performance in two years for the brilliant Kevin Molloy. There will be music, lego, banjo, sweets, violin and colouring pens and pencils as well as a secret guest whose name cannot be advertised due to another high profile show… what what.

Thursday, November 20 from 8:30pm
The Liberties Bar, 100 Camden High Street, Camden, London, NW1 0LU
http://www.myspace.com/iktoms

After this show I am going into a cave to plot my next album which currently looks like it might be recorded in a farm house in Tuscany next easter if I am a good boy.

Kevin put together compilation cd of iktoms artists recently which featured ‘The Finchley Waltz’ – I am not sure how you can get hold of one but I am sure if you poke him on thursday he will have some on him – it is a great listen, featuring loads of my favourite artists.

some new reviews

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve had a little flurry of reviews in the last week. Anyone up for translating the russian one?!

L’oreille En F’eu!

Toujours hier soir, j’ai fait la rencontre de ROBIN GREY et de son album “Only The Missile”. Encore de la folk music, peut être moins mélancolique , mais tout aussi passionante. Des bribes d’histoires qui évoque Nick Drake ou parfois Leonard Cohen.

Sur le titre “Somewhere”, ROBIN GREY est accompagné de la délicieuse Ruth Theodore, dont je vous conseille absolument son album “Worm Food”, qui lui aussi, est à télécharger sur Jamendo!

http://www.loreilleenfeu.fr/

J’s Live Journal

Стиль: сонграйтерский фолк.

В качестве образца для подражания Робин выбрал настоящие иконы фолка, но иконы специфические, которые и с “настоящим” фолком-то обычно не связывают – в первую очередь, Леонарда Коэна и Эни диФранко. По большому счету, если бы этот альбом попался мне среди “платников”, он вряд ли попал бы в “альбомы года”, но заметным явлением стал бы наверняка – что уж говорить о “бесплатниках”, среди которых работы подобного качества попадаются крайне редко – причем здесь стоит отметить как самого Робина, сыгравшего на многочисленных струнных, клавишных и ударных инструментах, но и о его приглашенных на одну-две песни соратниках: молодцы все.

5/5

http://j-j-j.livejournal.com/

Free Albums Galore

Robin Grey’s debut album ‘Only The Missile’ will please those music fans who like British folk rock hovering between the lyrical, the traditional and the confessional.

His style reminds me very much of Nick Drake or Robyn Hitchcock, but the songs have the masterful pathos of Leonard Cohen. There’s a sound of regret on the best tracks such as the wistful “Swan Song”. “Five” and “Every Waking Hour” are two other exceptional songs that are mid-tempo and melancholy.

“Somewhere” includes background vocals by one of my new favorite singers Ruth Theodore. Robin Grey is another excellent singer / songwriter that should enjoy a fruitful future with a little help from the music gods.

http://freealbums.blogsome.com/

Radio Watford

“this is the fifteenth time we have played Robin’s music… very original, superb lyricist”

http://www.radiowatford.co.uk/

another form of relief review

Posted on by
Reply

A second review which I only found out about today!

ANOTHER FORM OF RELIEF

The art of the protest singer seems to have been lost in recent years. Which is unfortunate as there hasn’t been in a time when they have been more needed. The state of this world, and this country in particularly, is practically screaming out for someone to put complaints into words. Which is something of an odd way to open when I’m not sure I’d even consider Robin Grey to be a protest singer.

He does take some swipes at the government of the day (”On the radio politicians dutifully opine which liberties they are taking away”), but most of The Finchley Waltz centres on the personal. It’s a melancoly tale of finding love (at first sight, no less) and then realising it’s not quite what the movies cracked it up to be. So still a protest song to a degree, just not in the political sense.

But then what does all this matter with a voice like this? Grey is one of those wonderful talents that could recite the phone directory on record and you’d still be enthralled. His voice is restrained, yet you can still feel the emotion behind every word. This allows each song to sound light and breezy enough to pull you in at the start, before the emotional punch comes in out of nowhere. Leaving us with the kind of cheerful misery that’s perfect for this time of year.

song by toad review

Posted on by
Reply

Somehow I only found out about this review yesterday…might explain why things have been a bit more lively on my myspace though…you can see the original review and browse around the rest of Song by Toad‘s excellent site by clicking on the picture below.

This is going to be a slightly equivocal review, I think. Robin is a new artist, and I always think twice if I’m going to be less than entirely generous about people you may never have heard of before.

What do I mean? Well I’m not entirely convinced by all of this album. There are a couple of tracks, most notably Somewhere, which are pretty unremarkable – I’m thinking Hugh Grant starring in another of those dismal Working Title romcoms of his, basically. Going to his MySpace page, there are a couple more like that, which made me a little nervous, I had to admit.

Associating these lapses with the rest of this album is easy, but really completely wrong. It’s actually a fabulous album for the most part, really it is: warm, melancholy, gentle, witty and just playful enough that the sparse instrumentation and generally slow pace never flirt with tedium. It has real life, this record, albeit a low-key, non-intrusive kind of life.

He plucks and rumbles along, in a most English manner, tells his stories in a plain and unpretentious way that is really personal and really engaging. By the end of the record you realise you’ve listened to the sort of music that feels like a relaxed night in with a good friend at the end of a tiring week. And you’re a bit drunk, but not too sozzled. And you feel a little sleepy, but in a nice, warm way. Things are fine, actually, aren’t they?

Bluesy and folky, with enough embellishment to add texture, but which never detracts from the gentle strum of the guitar and raspy, but not growling quality of his voice. It is minimal, but it’s not sparse, and it may be a bit DIY, but it’s not amateurish, and it may not grab you instantly, but it’s a really bloody good album.