ROBYN HITCHCOCK
A Star For Bram (Paf)
Luxor (Paf)
Robyn Sings (Paf)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

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After a brief dry spell there's a tidal wave of Robyn Hitchcock material to wade through. Releasing multiple albums is not so uncommon anymore, but a threesome is a bit of a novelty. Not that Hitchcock has suddenly gone mad (that was a while back), no, he's just releasing past work that was previously available solely through his website. A Star For Bram is a companion piece to the wonderful Jewels For Sophia, his last proper studio release. He recorded enough songs for a double album, pared it down to one, and made the scraps available as a vinyl only release. It proved so popular that, well, here we are. Far from a collection of sketchy out-takes, Bram is a solid record that continues Hitchcock's renewed romance with a clever pop song, something he left behind for a couple of slipshod efforts. Perhaps his comeback came with a faithful live reworking of Dylan's fabled Royal Albert Hall concert of 1966, which is disc one of the Robyn Sings two disc set. Again, fan demand deemed a proper release and why not, there's a real link there as Robyn pays his dues without being overtly sentimental or grovelly. The chance to hear Robyn's audience banter is always welcome as there are too few live documents of the wit in action. The troika is rounded off with the more sombre Luxor, an introspective piece that shows Hitchcock can be a serious musician without sacrificing the clever bits. If there was any ever doubt, Robyn Hitchcock is back, and in a big way.

© 2004 - John Sekerka