CD review from: Music News Nashville Magazine
Janet Robin – Everything Has Changed
by Janet Goodman
There’s something beautiful about a female rocker who wails away on a guitar. In clearly a man’s arena, a woman who expresses herself with explosions of stringed and vocal riffs stands out amongst the most powerful performers. Janet Robin is just such an artist. This native southern Californian cut her teeth as lead guitarist for the all-female rock band, “Precious Metal”. To say she later toured as part of Lindsey Buckingham’s solo band, says that she is one of the top-tier guitarists around.
On the cusp of her European tour, Robin has released the EU version of the already released “Everything Has Changed”, an eleven-song CD featuring two extra tracks, on the German label Hypertension Music. Produced by John Carter Cash and recorded at the famous Cash Cabin studio just outside of Nashville, the CD also offers a ten-minute bonus video shot exclusively at the Cash estate, where Johnny built this rustic studio in 1979 and recorded much of his later work. For Robin, the recording experience was moving, admitting that “the vibe and history at Cash Cabin is overwhelmingly inspiring”.
Perhaps limited by the melancholy edge to her smoky vocals, Robin lets her guitar say it best as the full extension of her heart, giving way with sunbursts of emotion that are stunning. Opening with the self-penned “View From Above”, with its catchy melody and Sheryl Crow feel, she offers a longer version of the song as her final track, adding an impressive guitar solo that rocks out the album. Bonus track “Dream Baby” is a haunting cover of the Roy Orbison classic, with added Crow-inspired layered harmonies and a retro-renegade edge that makes this a stand-out on her record.
“Rumor” is intriguingly slow-tempo and dark, as is the acoustic-driven and intimate “Bruise Easily”. A-little-something-different is “Everybody Falls in Love in Prague”, with its European flair and drama of the harmonium. Robin’s most soulful performance is on “This is Love” – a 6:25 track laden with scorching electric guitars, where she stretches her vocal palette to reveal a whiskey-velvet falsetto, as well as raucous grit.
Robin has a hand in penning nine of eleven tracks, such as “Clean Getaway, co-written with Maia Sharp. The song gives a glimpse into a messy break-up: “Thought you’d found the words/To get you to the other side/To set you free and leave no bridges burning/I know how hard you’re trying/But there’s nothing you can say/To keep me from crying/No such thing as a clean getaway”.
For guitar aficionados, a must-listen is “CHR Number 137”, a Steve Stills-esque, bluesy acoustic tour-de-force instrumental that’s mesmerizing. Janet Robin performs with passion and experience - can’t ask for more than that.
Check out her tour schedule by visiting www.janetrobin.com
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