[Slowhand] Robbie Robertson's "How To Become Clairvoyant"

[Nicholas Aleshin]

I like the new Robbie Robertson album as well. I think it could easily have been sold as RR & EC, since EC's presence is felt so much more than on other albums on which he appears as "guest." EC appears on 7 of the 12 tracks, on which he either plays guitar, sings, or does both. I believe he plays the majority of the electric guitar on the album, in addition to some acoustic guitar. He co-wrote 2 tracks with Robertson, and one on his own, an instrumental.

Ian Thomas is brilliant on drums. So many people compliment other drummers, but I don't get it. But this guy's very, very good. I like the way he plays. I feel that drums are supposed to keep time and provide a "rat-a-tat" sound, but few drummers actually do that. Thomas is one who does.

Another under-appreciated drummer is Aynsley Dunbar, who played with a number of blues and rock bands, most notably with John Mayall while Peter Green was guitarist, and his own band, Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation. Among those other bands I mentioned, Dunbar also played with Frank Zappa, blues singers Champion Jack Dupree and Eddie Boyd, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, Journey and John Lennon.

Back to Robertson: I loved The Band, but did not like Robertson's prior solo efforts at all. But I do like this one. Although there's a whole bunch of post-production added (as was the "in thing" during the largely over-produced 1980s), it still works.

One opinion I've long held of Robertson, as I hold also of Tom Petty and Whoopie Goldberg after seeing them interviewed several times, is that he always seem to be speaking to a secret, insider group of people, rather than to the audience. With this in mind, I know the words "my distant cry for help" appear in the song "He Don't Live Here No More." I just can't help but think that Robertson actually sings "my artistic cry for help."

              DeltaNick