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 Susan Robkin


Country of origin:

U.S.

Type of music generally:

Mainstream rock

Status:

Most recent release, Surfacing to Breathe (2004)

See also:

CDBaby's Susan Robkin page

Comparisons:

Sheryl Crow, Melissa Ethridge, Alanis Morissette (but no country, bluesy, or alterna-rock tinges like them).

Covers/own material:

Own

General comments:

Straight-forward melodic rock, rich powerful voice, good singer; songs about relationships. (k_hester_k@yahoo.co.nz)

Recommended first album:

how to say goodbye is the first we've heard

Recordings:

  • how to say goodbye (2001)
  • Horse of a Different Color EP (1999)
  • Surfacing to Breathe (2004)

how to say goodbye

Release info:

2001—SoNoS Records

Availability:

See CDBaby's Susan Robkin page

Ecto priority:

Recommended for people who want to support new rock artists.

Group members:

Susan Robkin—vocals, backing vocals, percussion

Guest artists:

Chris Martin—drums
Brent DeRocher—bass, keys, programming, guitar
Jess Gaedtke—guitars, backing vocals, percussion
Joshua Gaedtke—guitars
Erik DeBower—drums
Linton Weems—keys, programming
Derek Brown—bass
Sam MacDonald—bass
Markus Kamp—percussion

Produced by:

Brent DeRocher

Comments:

Please note: We have only heard a 5-song sampler of the album.

Susan Robkin's How to say goodbye is impressive for a debut album—good straight forward melodic rock with crunchy guitars. Robkin has a rich and powerful voice which she uses well and with personality. The guitars sometimes dominate things a bit, and they aren't interesting enough in themselves, as are, for example, the similar guitar sound on Rainer Maria's latest. The songs include the catchy gentle walking-pace 'nobody knows you', the strumming 'Happiness' with a weary 'cry cry cry' refrain, distracting vocal distortion in the eastern-tinged 'Broken inside', and the slinky 'Pretty girl' with a bass-line like Heart's 'Magic man'.
     I can imagine a slightly re-recorded version of this making it 'big', but maybe lots of albums I haven't heard fall into that category. If you like Sheryl Crow and Melissa Etheridge, it is worth visiting her website for samples. (k_hester_k@yahoo.co.nz)


Thanks to Karen Hester for work on this entry.

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DISCLAIMER: Comments and reviews in the Ectophiles' Guide are excerpted from the ecto mailing list or volunteered by members of the list. They are the opinions of music enthusiasts, not professional music critics.

Entry last updated 2012-05-06 15:39:23.
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