CD Review
The Robin Thrush Jr. Band
Born To Play
(2002 - Robin Thrush Band)
by Robert T. Murphy
Review date: March 2003
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"Keeping the Blues Alive Award" Achievement for Blues on the Internet Presented by The Blues Foundation
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Born on April 27th, 1989, Robin Thrush Jr. is a young, (really young) guitar player who shows tons of potential for the future. This CD is a demo of the band headed by said Robin Thrush and shows quite a bit of guitar maturity for a young man that was only 13 when it was recorded. The CD mixes three cover songs along with 9 original tunes for a total of 12 tracks.
the CD opens up with the classic 'Hideaway' and the band does a credible job with the song. The style leans towards the classic version rather than later versions by Clapton and others.IT's followed by another classic, 'Goin Down'. While the instrumentation kicks butt on this song, the vocals are a bit weak. It sounds like a 13 year old boy singing it and that doesn't quite cut it for this song. The guitar work on this is hot though and that makes up a lot. 'Fade to Blue', written by the band is a slow almost shuffle and is one of the better songs on the CD. Lots of slow wailing guitar on this one. 'Mystery to Me' is a medium temple shuffle with good musical work and decent vocals. This one has a little southern rock vibe to it. 'Blues for Michael' is a slow instrumental song in the vein of 'Red House' or similar styles. 'Before You Accuse Me' is another classic. Again the style leans towards the classic original versions than later reworkings by Clapton and others.'All Behind Me Now" is a rocker which most likely is a great song when played in a club. Lots of energy and power chords on this one along with some slide guitar. There's a fair amount of variety on this CD but it's still solidly in the blues/rock arena.
Bottom Line: For a 13 year old guitar player, this is pretty good, better than a lot of musicians who are a lot older and with more experience. Robin Thrush Jr. shows a lot of potential and it will be interesting to see how he matures as a player in the future. Instrumentally the music is very good. Vocally, the quality varys from fair to good. The songwriting on the originals is decent also. As a demo CD, this rates better than a lot of regular releases. I give it 2.5 stars out of 5.
Robin Thrush Jr. - Lead and Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Dave Keefer - Slide guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Don Kendrick - Drums
Robin Thrush - bass, organ, Vocals
Brooke Bryant - background vocals
Steve Hardin - Organ
Jerrod Cring - Tambourine, Background vocals
Web sites: www.robinthrushjrband.com
e-mail: rwtsr1@msn.com
Snail Mail: The Robin Thrush Jr. Band
2817 West End Ave
Suite 126, PMB 125
Nashville, TN 37203
Phone: (615) 594-3706
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