(Redline Entertainment)
Chris Robinson is probably now known more for his marriage to Kate Hudson than for anything he does musically. Case in point is the breakup of the Black Crowes, which received little attention, and his recent solo debut New Earth Mud, which goes unnoticed.
But the album doesn't really merit any worthiness of attention. It follows the same pattern of singers who think they can achieve greatness on their own only to realize they need the other members to be successful. Who ever remembers a Robbie Robertson or Roger Waters solo album?
Though the album has the trademark voice of the Black Crowes, New Earth Mud is obviously not a Crowes record. Gone are the tight arrangements and instead the music loosely flows across the 12 tracks. Most of the songs are easy-going love ballads, probably the topic Robinson knows best right now. Not surprisingly, the few high points of the album come when Robinson breaches Black Crowes territory. \Ride"" is basically just a copy of the Crowes' ""Young Man, Old Man"" from Lions with new lyrics. And the best track, ""Sunday Sound,"" is done with ex-Crowes guitarist Marc Ford.
New Earth Mud is a beginning and perhaps over time and touring Robinson will become a stronger songwriter. Right now it seems that his work with his brother Rich was a collaboration worth going back to. The Daily Cardinal had a chance to talk with Chris about his current musical state before tour rehearsals in his Malibu home.
How long ago did you decide you wanted to do a solo album?
Probably after The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, I moved out to California and had a group of friends around. We'd get together and jam occasionally and I did a session called Sweet Pickle Salad, just had a good time and it was different. But then of course the Black Crowes world took over for the next decade so I didn't really have any time to get into that.
After the By Your Side kind of stuff with the Crowes I was unhappy and ready to try something else for a while, but then we did the Jimmy Page thing and then everyone was in a good space and we decided to do one more record so it took a little time, but I finally got around to it in typical underachieving fashion.
Were these songs you didn't want to bring to the Black Crowes?
I wrote everything on the record except one song after the Crowes tour. The Black Crowes was more my lyrics and Rich's lyrics. So we didn't really do my songs.
How was it writing without your brother?
Well, it was easy for me; it was super comfortable. Although I wrote some songs by myself, I collaborated with some friends, working with Paul Stacey my co-producer and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire. It was nice, it brought more of that communal open vibe to what I was doing, getting into some old relationships with like Marc Ford who was in the Crowes for a long time.
How much did your marriage influence this album?
A great extent. Not so much in the literal sense, except for maybe something like ""Katie Dear,"" but love affects you on a multi-dimensional level. In terms of your daily existence and your philosophical wanderings and everything. Just to be in a positive place and to know there's somebody with you, it makes your confidence level go up and it makes things seem that anything's possible because love makes that happen. That's real, whether it's me and my wife or anyone who finds that feeling and those emotions.
When you were in the Crowes, you always said each album was part of ""the big song."" Where does your solo album fit in to this?
I don't know really. I see this on one hand, as proud as I am of the Black Crowes and as much as I love the work that we did, I see the Black Crowes sometimes almost as an apprenticeship. It was a big place to learn and an exciting way to learn.I think that music is music and that is the common thread, but I definitely think this is the sapling cut off from the tree and hopefully with nurturing and the right weather conditions that it will grow.
It's hard to say things are done for good. When a band dissolves for a while, everybody hates everybody else and no one wants to talk. It's like any relationship, you don't want to see those people. We don't really talk. If I wasn't happy doing this, then I guess we would be talking. But right now this is the kind of music and I want to be making and the musical statement I feel like making. And, like I said, I want to nurture this for a while.
