Robert Vincent - In This Town Youre Owned (14/02/20)
The excellent Crosby-born singer-songwriter Robert Vincent has been carving out his own path in Americana in the past few years. He released his debut album ‘Life in Easy Steps’ in 2013 and in 2016 he won the inaugural Emerging Artist Award from Bob Harris. In 2017 he released second album ‘I’ll Make The Most of My Sins’ and Rob has been touring extensively since then. Three years on Rob is back with his wonderful new album ‘In This Town You’re Owned’.
This 10-track album sees Rob creating his most socially and politically poignant album to date, produced by Brit Award winning Ethan Johns (who has won acclaim for his production work with, amongst others, Paul McCartney, Ray La Montagne and Laura Marling). It has a central theme about the pressures life places upon us as society gets more and more socially conscious. More than before, Rob deals in hard truths and easy melodies, furthering the tradition of classically crafted songwriting, asking the difficult questions about everyday emotions. “I’m just really interested in the human condition and how people react to things.” adds Rob.
The album opens with ‘This Town’, a mid-tempo track that gently eases you into the record but poses important questions that you’ll think about for the rest of the album. Rob contemplates on how life can get the better of you and you can choose to embrace the hurdles it throws at you or be taken down by them. It’s an important message and one that we’re all guilty of losing sight of at times.
The tempo changes for the bouncy rock’n’roll influenced ‘My Neighbour’s Ghost’. It’s a nice change of pace and continues the theme established in ‘This Town’.
One of the first highlights on the record comes on ‘The Kids Don’t Dig God Anymore’. It explores Rob’s more soulful side and it’s a gently rousing track that looks at the changing times and beliefs that we’re seeing in society.
Elsewhere on the album the thought provoking ‘Conundrum’, one of my favourite tracks on the album, adds elements of rock and a heavier beat, ‘I Was Hurt Today But I’m Alright Now’ mixes a gentle beat with strong harmonies, and ‘If You Were You’ has a strong retro 70s country feel.
The album closes with ‘Cuckoo’, which sees Robert adding a little gospel into his soul. It reminds me of the recent Marcus King album ‘El Dorado’ and it’s a perfect way to bring the album to an end.
‘In This Town You’re Owned’ is another excellent addition to Rob’s music. It is both thought provoking and has a strong social conscience. It’s full of high quality songwriting and arrangements, with Rob’s vocals and musicianship front and centre. This new album confirms Rob’s place as one of the finest Americana artists in the UK.
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Artist: Robert Vincent
Release Date: 14th February 2020
Genre: Americana, Country Rock, Folk
Record Label: Thirty Tigers
Tracks: 10
Website: https://www.robertvincentmusic.com/