Robin Holcomb

Robin Holcomb

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
One can't help thinking of the paintings of Grant Wood and the writings and photographs of Wright Morris when listening to this austere little treasure. Georgia-born pianist-vocalist Robin Holcomb creates a windswept, chores-at-6-a.m. aura throughout this 10-song CD, conjuring up images of windmills and grim-faced farmhands with her spare, sub rosa songs. Backed by a kind of chamber-folk ensemble led by her keyboard-playing husband, Wayne Horvitz, and guitarist Bill Frisell (both veterans of New York's experimental downtown scene), Holcomb sings her piano-based tunes with a reserve that suits her lyrics. What are essentially black-and-white aural snapshots provide the basis for "Electrical Storm," "So Straight and Slow," "Troy," and the rest of these songs. They may seem blurry on first listen, but somehow Holcomb brings them all into focus. --Steven Stolder

Tracks:

Cape Cod Girls - Baby Gramps
Mingulay Boat Song - Richard Thompson
My Son John - John C. Reilly
Fire Down Below - Nick Cave
Turkish Revelry - Loudon Wainwright III
Bully In The Alley - The Old Prunes
The Cruel Ship's Captain - Bryan Ferry
Dead Horse - Robin Holcomb
Spansih Ladies - Bill Frisell
High Barbary - Joseph Arthur
Haul Away Joe - Mark Anthony Thompson
Dan Dan - David Thomas
Blood Red Roses - Sting
Sally Brown - Teddy Thompson
Lowlands Away - Rufus Wainwright & Kate McGarrigle
Baltimore Whores - Gavin Friday
Rolling Sea - Eliza McCarthy
Haul On The Bowline - Bob Neuwirth
Dying Sailor to His Shipmates - Bono
Bonnie Portmore - Lucinda Williams
The Mermaid - Martin Carthy & the UK Group
Shenandoah - Richard Greene & Jack Shit
The Cry Of Man - Mary Margaret O'Hara

Tracks:

Boney - Jack Shit
Good Ship Venus - Loudon Wainwright III
Long Time Ago -White Magic
Pinery Boy - Nick Cave
Lowlands Low - Bryan Ferry w/Antony
One Spring Morning - Akron/Family
Hog Eye Man - Martin Carthy & Family
The Fiddler/A Drop Of Nelson's Blood - Ricky Jay & Richard Greene
Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold - Andrea Corr
Fathom The Bowl - John C. Reilly
Drunken Sailor - Dave Thomas
Farewell Nancy - Ed Harcourt
Hanging Johnny - Stan Ridgway
Old Man of The Sea - Baby Gramps
Greenland Whale Fisheries - Van Dyke Parks
Shallow Brown - Sting
The Grey Funnel Line - Jolie Holland
A Drop of Nelson's Blood - Jarvis Cocker
Leave Her Johnny - Lou Reed
Little Boy Billy - Ralph Steadman

Amazon.com

Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski hatched the idea for Rogue's Gallery while filming "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"--that idea being to cast genteel rock superstars like Bono, Lou Reed, Bryan Ferry, Andre Corr, and Sting to reinterpret gritty seafaring standards for an exhaustive 43-track double-disc set produced by Hal Wilner. Throw in a bunch of credible folk stars (Loudon Wainwright III, Richard Thompson), their offspring (Rufus, Teddy) and a string of other curious characters (Jarvis Cocker, Antony) and what results is one of the strangest compilations in recent memory, if not exactly the most historically authentic or, well, digestible. Nick Cave embraces the role just a little too hard on "Fire Down Below," while Ferry can't help but sound like he's singing for the cast of "The Love Boat," but cut through the chaff and there is some real bootie here: Bono's "Dying Sailor to His Shipmates," Jolie Holland's "The Grey Funnel Line" and "Boney" by a mysterious tramp called Jack Sh**, which must be some kind of anagram for Johnny Depp. --Aidin Vaziri

Album Description

While working on the two "Pirates Of The Carribean" films, Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski became fascinated with the lore and fable of the pirates and sailors who ran the high seas. Enter legendary producer Hal Wilner, who brings his knack for matching maverick musicians with extraordinary material. Artists on this double disc set include Bono, Sting, Nick Cave, Bryan Ferry, Lou Reed, Richard Thompson, Lucinda Williams, Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, and many more. "Rogue's Gallery" offers a look at the hardships, the horrors, the lusts and lurid depths, and the crystal beauty that led men to the sea in ships for hundreds of years.

Customer Reviews:

Fun--but not great.......2007-07-03

What a concept--a pirate song co-produced by Verbinski and Depp inspired by the "Pirates of the Carribean" series. It should be great and in places, it is. The big question I came away with is--who is Jack Sh**? That one definitely has me guessing.

I won't belabor the song content or the production value. I think the most notable reviews have got that down pat, although I'm not marking down as far as they have because I'm giving points for originality being a fan of Spike Jones and some other truly demented people.

One thing to note: this is not a CD you'd buy if you were looking for something to amuse your kids. Some of the content is very bawdy and Mom and Dad would have some serious 'splaining to do to the little pirates. There's both some language and some situations that are more twisted than a Hangman's knot.

aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhh!.......2007-06-09

Some of the songs are quite good(mellow)others a little odd. Its what I expected, but not what you would expect.

Disappointment would be an understatement.......2007-06-04

It is not unusual to find sea shanties performed by not the greatest musicians or singers in the world. It is not unusual to find shanties sung by people who have difficulty keeping perfect pitch, or tempo. But at least they understand what the music is about, and sing it with heart and enthusiasm and a love for the genre.

Hal Wilner should stick to whatever genre it is that made him know enough to be approached by labels, because he clearly has no understanding, and less enthusiasm for *this* genre.

If you love lively music from the maritime era, you can only be bitterly disappointed by this collection. Out of 43 tracks, I found 15 that were salvageable. Sort of.

I've already tossed this onto the pile to go to the resale shop. It wasn't worthy the cost of shipping.

Zzz..........2007-04-04

I have to admit that I have no idea what kinds of music the pirates sang aboard their ships. I know it probably wasn't "yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," but I expected something different than this. I think my expectations have been colored by groups like The Pogues, Flogging Molly, The Tossers, and the Real McKenzies. I have an annual Pirate Party and I was hoping to find some good music here to get people in the mood for a treasure hunt or pirate liar's dice, but instead, the music on this CD is something I'd put on if the party went on too long and I wanted to encourage people to leave. Some of it is actually awful and the rest is too slow and plodding to inject much energy into any situation.

I appreciate what was attempted here (contemporary artists paying homage to sea chanteys in the spirit of our romanticized version of the pirate era) but it just doesn't really work. The effect is similar to what would be achieved if the London Philharmonic Orchestra attempted to play rap "music" with Luciano Pavarotti rhymin' while flashing gang signs.

another set of hopes are smashed.......2007-03-29

the selection of titles attracted me. The quality of the arrangements, the voices, and the music---are all quite bad.

It is VERY sad that these same titles, could not have been produced for quality. They sound like a nightmare.

Average customer rating:

So poignant, so heart achingly beautiful
A musician's musician
Poetry From a Back Highway

Robin Holcomb
Robin Holcomb
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Urban Folk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Rockabye
The Big Time
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John Brown's Body
Pooka

ASIN: B000002H8M
Release Date: 1990-09-24

Tracks:

Nine Lives
The American Rhine
Electrical Storm
Troy
So Straight And Slow
Hand Me Down All Stories
This Poem In In Memory Of!
Yr Mother Called Them Farmhouses
Waltz
Deliver Me

Amazon.com

One can't help thinking of the paintings of Grant Wood and the writings and photographs of Wright Morris when listening to this austere little treasure. Georgia-born pianist-vocalist Robin Holcomb creates a windswept, chores-at-6-a.m. aura throughout this 10-song CD, conjuring up images of windmills and grim-faced farmhands with her spare, sub rosa songs. Backed by a kind of chamber-folk ensemble led by her keyboard-playing husband, Wayne Horvitz, and guitarist Bill Frisell (both veterans of New York's experimental downtown scene), Holcomb sings her piano-based tunes with a reserve that suits her lyrics. What are essentially black-and-white aural snapshots provide the basis for "Electrical Storm," "So Straight and Slow," "Troy," and the rest of these songs. They may seem blurry on first listen, but somehow Holcomb brings them all into focus. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

So poignant, so heart achingly beautiful.......2000-08-07

This is an album I come back to again and again, over years. The poetry of it is mesmerizing. All the pieces, every one of them; they all go together and they all build upon each other. And then there's the final breathtaking, heartstopping track. "Deliver me" shatters me every time I hear it, and is the reason why I hold this album in such safe, and sacred reserve. Holcomb's refrain--"the light / is only perfect / for a very, short time" aches with wisdom and longing, and speaks so poignantly of our day-to-day lives. I can only listen to this album occasionally, I hold it in such high regard. In her own inimitable way, Robin Holcomb has channeled a path for that ray of perfect, elusive, light. God bless her for that.

A musician's musician.......1999-02-17

Robin's unique voice and jazzy homespun instrumental voicing creates a colorful world that most people will find beautiful, inspiring and thought provoking. Highly recommended.

Poetry From a Back Highway.......1998-06-22

There's a myth that rural life is simpler, sparer, more easily understood. "Robin Holcomb" is for people who know better. An excellent pianist who mixes classical with folk elements, Holcomb writes lyrics that work well as poetry. Yet, she combines simple words into staggeringly complex arrangements. If the line, "The light is only perfect for a very short time" makes you pause in thought, you'll love this album. Recommended If You Like: Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, John Prine

Average customer rating:

a slightly strange idiosyncratic disk
What a great artist
Yuk!
One of the best of the Nineties!

Rockabye
Robin Holcomb
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Urban Folk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Robin Holcomb
The Big Time
Little Three
Solos
Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man

ASIN: B000002HAD
Release Date: 1992-09-01

Tracks:

Widowmaker
Help A Man
When I Stop Crying
Rockabye
Iowa Lands
When Was The Last Time
Dixie
Primavera
The Goodnight-Loving Trail
The Natural World

Customer Reviews:

a slightly strange idiosyncratic disk.......2003-12-06

This is a slightly strange, idiosyncratic disk -- but not in a bad way. Robin Holcomb has a thin country-sounding voice. She plays piano and writes unusually literate and harmonically open songs. Her better known keyboardist husband, Wayne Horvitz, assembled some really crack jazz musicians (Bill Frisell, Marty Ehrlich et al.) to interpret this country chamber jazz. The results will probably not be to everyone's liking, but I note that the used copies are being practically given away, so why not take a flyer on it?

What a great artist.......2002-10-15

I love all Robin albums, I have the all four. The first is haunting. This second one is more various, very arranged, and it's a marvel. Not often you meet such an artist honest, personal, who does his/her work as if nothing else was important. I believe the first worry of Robin is expression. I mean, it's probably what does interest her the most. To express what she has inside, the best way as possible. The third album is more instrumental, and equally wonderful (Robin is a great pianist) and I am still tasting her new one, "The Big Time".

God bless such real artists.

Yuk!.......2001-02-20

Yuk! This CD was terrable! Don't bother!

One of the best of the Nineties!.......1999-10-03

I haven't stopped listening to this CD since I purchased it on its release date in 1992. Simply put, Ms, Holcomb is a visionary. I'm truly saddened and surprised that this CD (or one of her other 2) did not take off. Her fragile voice shimmers through these 10 haunting songscapes. This is deep music. After several listens this music settles into your bones like an old limp that won't go away. Reminding us, like Jacob of old, of how we've wrestled our way through this life and been touched by God through the knowing glances of weathered strangers.

Average customer rating:

Solos
Robin Holcomb , and Wayne Horvitz
Manufacturer: Songlines
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Urban Folk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

John Brown's Body
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Sweeter Than the Day
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ASIN: B00066K116
Release Date: 2004-12-14

Tracks:

Reno - Robin Holcomb
Tired - Wayne Horvitz
Armageddon - Wayne Horvitz
The Pleasures of Motion - Robin Holcomb
Joanna's Solo - Wayne Horvitz
Before The Comet Comes - Wayne Holcomb
Stars Fell On Alabama - Wayne Horvitz
Interpretation #1 - Wayne Horvitz
The Road to Zamora - Robin Holcomb
Buttermilk Hill - Wayne Horvitz
Up Do - Robin Holcomb
Interpretation #2 - Wayne Horvitz
Done For - Robin Holcomb
Crispin And Lisa's Duet - Wayne Horvitz

Album Description

For his new record on Songlines, Wayne Horvitz and his wife and musical partner Robin Holcomb take turns at a Steinway D in the intimate acoustic of the University of BC Recital Hall. Their program of mostly reflective pieces includes original tunes, Robin's 14-minute suite "When the Comet Comes," improvs, and a couple of covers (Wayne Shorter's "Armageddon" and "Stars Fell on Alabama"). With playing of great elegance and emotional resonance in superb live-to-DSD sound, this release will appeal equally to jazz fans, lovers of classical piano, and audiophiles.
"...Staggeringly beautiful..."
--New York Times

Average customer rating:

evocative piano compositions
Superb and haunting. A must-have.
This CD is a must-have.

Little Three
Robin Holcomb
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Urban Folk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Big Time
Robin Holcomb
Rockabye
Solos
John Brown's Body

ASIN: B000005J3I
Release Date: 1996-03-26

Tracks:

Wherein Lies The Good
Processional
The Graveyard Song
Tiny Sisters
The Impulse
Little Three
The Window

Customer Reviews:

evocative piano compositions.......2001-07-08

I first learned of Robin Holcomb from a clerk in a music store in Ann Arbor, and he had as difficult a time describing her music as I expect I will here. As confusing as this might sound, imagine piano compositions that are at once primitive, yet sophisticated, a kind of cross between protestant hymnals and Charles Ives, with an almost appalachian starkness. This is a recording that rewards detailed listening immensely while still being very effective as concentration-enhancing background music (in the very best sense of that term). While the entire album is bleakly beautiful, I would especially recommend "The Graveyard Song."

Superb and haunting. A must-have........1999-08-12

It is difficult to categorize Robin Holcomb's compositions. Americana classical? Spare yet rich, this is a beautiful work.

This CD is a must-have........1999-08-09

"Little Three" is one of my favorite CDs. Robin Holcomb is a terrific composer, so American, so evocative. If you love, say, intimate piano pieces by Brahms plus Elizabeth Cotten, you will love this recording.

Average customer rating:

John Brown's Body

Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

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General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

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Way out East
The Big Time

ASIN: B000FG8BOG
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Tracks:

Chimera
From Below
One
Photography
Saam #1
John Brown's Body
Sorrow
Saam #2
Maybe You One Day
Pretty Ozu

Average customer rating:

Oo-ee

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00006LI6F
Release Date: 2001-01-01

Tracks:

James Knapp: Oo-ee
Roger Briggs: Trailblazers
Bun-Ching Lam: Bittersweet Music III
Julian Priester: Equanimity
Roger Nelson: Stalks in the Breeze
David Mahler: One Banned Man
Bern Herbolsheimer: Ashik Dances Before His Love
Robin Holcomb: Shiloh
Stuart Dempster: Alternate Realities
Jarrad Powell: The Moon and the Sun Are Eternal Travelers 1
Jarrad Powell: The Moon and the Sun Are Eternal Travelers 2
Vincent Plush: The Little People of Mount Rainier
Janice Giteck: Agrarian Chants 1
Janice Giteck: Agrarian Chants 2
Janice Giteck: Agrarian Chants 3

Album Description

To commemorate twenty years of musical activity in the Pacific Northwest, flutist Paul Taub commissioned new works from musicians he had met and worked with in the region. The resulting collection presents a double portrait of Taub as a performer as well as the vital music Northwest music scene. Works range from plaintive melodies to performance art created by a dozen contemporary classical and jazz composers.

Average customer rating:

Levellers/ Robin Holcomb

Manufacturer: Elektra Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000BCEZNA

Product Description

Robin Holcomb~ Track List: 1. When Was The Last Time (6:10)~~ 2. When I Stop Crying (6:43)~~ 3. Deliver Me (6:30)~~ Levellers~ Track List: 1. One Way (4:08)~~ 2. Far From Home (3:47)~~ 3. World Freak Show (Live) (3:28)~~ 2 CD Singles

Average customer rating:

Wandering, skittery vocals; haunting piano in taut settings
Difficult--and beautiful

The Big Time
Robin Holcomb
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Singer Songwriters | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Robin Holcomb
Rockabye
Little Three
Solos
John Brown's Body

ASIN: B000067IQK
Release Date: 2002-06-18

Tracks:

Pretend
Like I Care
Sit Right Down
You Look So Much Better
A Lazy Farmer Boy
If You Can't Make The Curve
I Want to Tell the Story
Engine 143
I Tried to Believe
The Big Time
Tell the Good Friend on Your Left
Lullaby

Amazon.com

It has been 10 years since Robin Holcomb's previous album of vocal songs, and it might take listeners another decade to absorb all the nuances, textures, and deceptive complexities of this diverse collection. Her vocal trill has the Appalachian purity of Dolly Parton's, her spare piano playing sounds like Randy Newman at certain moments and like the Anglican hymnal at others, and the oblique originality of her material finds a kindred spirit in Laurie Anderson's performance art. The result is roots music whose roots extend from traditional folk ("A Lazy Farmer Boy," "Engine 143") to classical avant-garde ("Pretend," "I Want to Tell the Story"). Those who prized the austere simplicity of Holcomb's earlier recordings will have to adjust to the electronic atmospherics provided by keyboardist/producer/husband Wayne Horvitz and his band Zony Mash, joined by guitarist Bill Frisell. Ethereal harmonies from Kate and Anna McGarrigle highlight the bittersweet "Like I Care" and the closing "Lullaby." --Don McLeese

Album Description

2002 release from Seattle based singer-songwriter-pianist Robin Holcomb after a long hiatus. With a style that weaves together disparate musical strands, her songs evoke the rough-hewn feel of mountain music and country hymns complemented by piano in a sparse style like the Shakers had written music in the style of Debussy. Slipcase.

Customer Reviews:

Wandering, skittery vocals; haunting piano in taut settings.......2006-03-23

She's back! Less weird and edgy than the 1990 eponymous album; no hint of the mainstream rock from Rockabye. Rather, very sophisticated music closer to an artist's loft than to a Southern bottom. Frissell's languid guitar fits her wandering, skittery vocals perfectly. Generally tougher than either earlier album. Haunting piano is still here, but submerged in a tighter, tougher mix. She sounds surer of herself, less at risk from that dark bottom or whatever. One of the best pop albums of 2002. The more I hear it, the more I like it. [44:28]

Difficult--and beautiful.......2002-07-24

Robin Holcomb's new album is challenging, engaging, and ultimately, emotionally resonant and moving. A singer-songwriter unlike her peers, her lyrics are more often oblique than obvious--and her melodies often require a second (or third) listen. "Pretend" uses the phrase "I want someone to call me baby" as a repeated invocation, a prayer set off against the religious theme of "prepare your body for the laying on of hands." It's challenging at first--but after a few listens, it's impossible to stop playing the song in your head. Yet the time invested in this album more than pays off--Robin's work provides an arresting insight into the psyche of love and the music itself is surprisingly melodic and beautiful. Robin sings "the story improves the more it's repeated." The same is true for The Big Time.

Average customer rating:

Calling All Angels
Tori Amos , Annie Lennox , Julie Cruise , Sinead O'Connor , k.d. Lang , Laurie Anderson , Toni Childs , Jennifer Warnes , Mathilde Santing , and Mary Black
Manufacturer: Helicon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000U17PSY

Product Description

1. Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U, 2. Annie Lennox - Why, 3. Tori Amos - China, 4. Julee Cruise - Falling, 5. Jane Siberry with k.d. lang - Calling All Angels, 6. k.d. lang - So It Shall Be, 7. Laurie Anderson - Strange Angels, 8. Toni Childs - The Dead Are Dancing, 9. Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat, 10. Mathilde Santing - Closewatch, 11. Mary Black - The Dimming Of The day, 12. Suzanne Vega - Gypsy, 13. Robin Holcomb - Electrical Storm, 14. Joni Mitchell - Night Ride Home, 15. Eddie Reader - What You Do With What You've Got, 16. Julia Fordham - Love Moves, 17. Joan Armatrading - The Weakness In Me,

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