Robinson - England’s Bleeding

The bastard great grandson of Lord Burgess is England’s conscience. He attempts to prove it with his debut album “England’s Bleeding.”

I’m making somebody really rich

While he pays me peanuts

Well, ain’t it a bitch.

I’ve got to get out of here.

-  a verse from the track “Forget About It All.”

Andy Robinson, also known simply as “Robinson” expertly blends disparate musical styles - Klezmer, Folk, Jazz, Blues, Country, Alternative Rock - as he plays clarinet, saxophone, guitar, banjo, glockenspiel, accordion and percussion. Yet, what could have been a cacaphony of harmonies is a smooth and successful combination of melodies all for one purpose - to make you think about the human condition.

Always talk to strangers

Because they are always lonelier than you

Always talk to strangers

Because you never know when you’ll need a friend

- chorus form the track “Always Talk To Strangers.”

This son of a son of a son of a bastard knows what he wants and is not shy about telling us what it is.

Some people just want some money.

They believe it’s going to make them happy

I can understand but it’s not what I need,

What I need is much cheaper than this

I want a place by the sea with a record player

and an old beaten up guitar

with a pub down below

Just to stumble back home

and that’s all that I really want

and that’s all that I really want

and that’s all I thats all I really want

Some people just want a woman

And some kids just want a baby

They both bel;ieve that family’s the answer

But for me I want simplier than this

I want good clean fresh air and brand new cigarettes

A good pair of shoes and a comfortable bed

Girls come and go but this smile remains

and that’s all that I really want

and that’s all that I really want

and that’s all I thats all I really want

    - excerpt from the track “That’s All I Really Want.”

Robinson is the whole package.  He can play, arrange and write.  He is from coal mining stock and echos British working class indignation.  

Hip hip hooray for our new Governor

England’s joy is MacDonald’s big brother,

I don’t care for one or the other

In the pocket of America’s mother.

Our children are pregnant and drunk

Our fathers are useless scraps of junk

Johnny Rotten who sang without a key

Is nothing but a sold-out punk.

England’s bleeding now

England’s bleeding now

England’s bleedng everywhere

    - excerpt from the track “England’s Bleeding.”

He writes folk songs like Bob Dylan.  A faint echo of “Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again” can be heard in Robinson’s track “Stuck In Town.”  Yet, his approach is never as raw as Dylan’s approach.  It is polished and it sparkles with Robinson’s emotive voice.  It is the perfect combination for love songs such as “Dance,” “In A Whisper,” “Little Ms. Darling” and the album’s poppy “First Time.”

We smoke cigarettes,

We drink in the park

We always go out after it gets dark

We drink until three

She’s smiling at me

With her red wine lips

And her sweet french kiss

Yeah, I’m so happy I can almost cry

I don’t want this feeling to fade, Oh no

Maybe this could be the first time

Maybe this could be the first time

Maybe this could be the first time

I felt love

- first verse and chorus from the track “First Time.”

For Robinson it is all about the message.  Whether the topic is a melancholy story about an on and off romance, such as the track “In A Whisper,” or a soul-searching exposition on life, such as the track “Happiness,”  Robinson’s choice of syntax and cadence are used as formidable weapons.

I want something else

I want something else

Happiness should be caressed, not depressed by the sorrow

Happiness should be caressed, not depressed by the sorrow

Fat cats rule

While us dogs drool

And we bark at each move they make

They think that we’re small

That we don’t care

But I can tell you that our eyes are more open than theirs

I want something else

I want something else

Happiness should be caressed, not depressed by the sorrow

Happiness should be caressed, not depressed by the sorrow

- excerpt from the track “Happiness.”

Robinson ends England’s Bleeding with an introspective look at what he hopes the future holds. “Someday, Somewhere.” is a sweet  ethereal nursery rhyme but is the least enjoyable song of the whole lot.  That may be by design.. Robinson rails against the present but ends it all with a hope for a better future.  

The album is music-based poetry with a message.  It is a viseral and formidable debut effort. It will make you think. Turn it on, turn it up and listen.


- Old School