Charlie Robison - Step Right Up
Product Information
Track List: Step Right Up
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- Right Man For The JobDownload & Buy
- The PreacherDownload & Buy
- I Want You BadDownload & Buy
- Desperate TimesDownload & Buy
- The Wedding SongDownload & Buy
- Sweet InspirationDownload & Buy
- John O'ReillyDownload & Buy
- TonightDownload & Buy
- One In A MillionDownload & Buy
- Comes To Me NaturallyDownload & Buy
- RainDownload & Buy
- Life Of The PartyDownload & Buy
More Charlie Robison CDs and Albums
Album Details: Step Right Up
- Release Date:
- 04/10/2001
- Label:
- Sony
- UPC:
- 074646140420
User Reviews: Step Right Up
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Will this be the one?
, April 14, 2001Reviewer: handgunowner - See all handgunowner's reviews -
Texas music at its' best
, April 11, 2001Reviewer: staglife - See all staglife's reviewsCharlie Robison has adopted the role of premier Texas troubador, and has learned his lessons well. This album combines all of the best attributes of Texas music in one- from the Doug Sahm inspired "one in a million" to the wry humor of The wedding song, and to the Robert Earl Keen influenced " Desperate Times". This album combines all styles of Texas music, and is my leader for the CD of the year
read all (2) user reviews for Step Right Up
Pro Reviews: Step Right Up
| EXPERT RATING: From AMG Reviews There was once a time when one could easily identify the roots of country music. English, German, French, Irish, and even African-American influences came together to create this genre. Charlie Robison and his music reflect that time, but he is in no way merely referencing a purer time. He has learned lessons from his ancestors and has truly made his own sound. His rugged good looks and obvious intelligence could easily make him a poster boy for alternative country, but a deeper listen to his third release Step Right Up will reveal much more than a pretty face. The lyrics range from tender to biting to brutal and are delivered with an honesty and wit lost throughout today's country charts. Songs about murder, robbery, and stale love capture the imagination of the listener while always being thoughtful and compassionate. Robison collected a large and varied group of musicians to make this record. Notables include his brother Bruce Robison who contributes his words and his voice, session legend Jim Lauderdale who sings backing vocals, and Robinson's wife Emily Robison (Dixie Chicks) who plays banjo on several tracks. Robison is telling stories in his songs more than he is conveying feelings or desires. This too is a lost tradition from what was country music. "Desperate Times" chronicles the life of a lost Texas youth, and "John O'Reilly" oozes Irish influence with the story of an immigrant in Depression-era America. The album also includes a funny yet sadly true duet with Dixie Chick Natalie Maines called "The Wedding Song." Ultimately, Charlie Robison's Step Right Up demonstrates that sometimes an alternative is where it started in the beginning. - Michael Cusanelli, All Music Guide |
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Charlie Robison Biography
Texas singer/songwriter Charlie Robison was born in Houston and raised on his family's ranch in the town of Bandera; absorbing the music he heard on the local honky tonk scene, he and brother Bruce -- later an acclaimed performer in his own right -- ...Full Charlie Robison Biography
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-- ©2008 All Media Guide, LLC
Step Right Up is a bit of a step away from Robison's previous release, but rarely do second albums sound just like the first one. Many artists evolve from the first album to the second. Steve Earle's sound changed from Guitar Town to Exit 0. The Dixie Chicks' sound changed from Wide Open Spaces to Fly. Charlie Robison's sound had changed from Life Of The Party to Step Right Up. But in the case of all three, the sound changed but the emotion didn't. Truth be told, if anything happened to the emotion, it intensified.
The new album shows that Robison has grown over the last couple of years. Grown as a writer and grown as a person. There is less despair on the part of the protagonists in these songs and more maturity, even contentment. "The Wedding Song" being an example of this new maturity borne out by the emotional reactions in the folks the songs are written around. Rather than leaning towards moving down life's path seperately, the couple (whose words are brought to voice by Robison and "Chick-in-Law", Natalie Maines) find the positive in the changes life has brought them.
John O'Reilly, on the other hand, is as fiesty and cocky as any personality on Life Of The Party. Not as wantonly violent, but rough and tumble as any of them. O'Reilly sounds like he could be a close blood relative of Steve Earle's "Kilran of the 20th Maine" from "The Mountain". A stereotypical Irishman who lives to fight and get the best of those who would try and get the best of him.
Desperate Times is a story of just that. Desperate times and what the feelings of desperation seduce some people to undertake.
The critics who think Charlie Robison has "sold out" to Nashville couldn't be more wrong. His words are pure Austin, Texas. Like Steve Earle, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash before him, he has his music and he doesn't compromise it. He continues to sound like himself and not like everybody else with a cute smile and a well toned ass.
If the programmers let it on the air, Step Right Up could make Charlie Robison a member of the "songwriters" clique in Nashville. The clique that includes Radney Foster, Hal Ketchum, and Mary Chapin Carpenter. The clique whose stars don't burn as brightly as the McGraws', and Twains', but whose stars will burn much longer and will be more appreciated by the fans who gaze upon them.
Anyone who gets hold of this album and doesn't like it doesn't like country music. They like what their radio tells them country music is. Will this be the one that gets Charlie Robison onto the radio? Lets hope radio allows it to happen. ...