Album Review: Charlie Robison – Beautiful Day

Jim Malec | June 3rd, 2009 Email Share

Charlie Robison - Beautiful DayThere was a time not long ago when it would have been pretty easy to assert that that Bruce was the best songwriter in the Robison clan. Brother Charlie’s latest effort makes a strong case for reconsideration of that position.

Birthed in the aftermath of a divorce from his wife of nine years, Dixie Chick Emily, Beautiful Day is both Charlie’s most inspired disc and his most listenable, an album that beautifully balances hooky rhythms and crisp production with his typically razor-sharp lyrics (all of this underscored by guitarist Charlie Sexton’s engaging and tasteful contributions).

It is also Robison’s most personal work to date, if not his most adventurous. Although its content is neither as epic nor as literarily weighty as much of the material on seminal disc Life of The Party, Beautiful Day is considerably more emotionally revealing.

From the album’s opening lyrics, which finds him unapologetically waxing on his ex and her new life in Venice (CA), Robison leaves no doubt that the next 37 minutes will be about a man’s journey through hell.

It is a journey made all the more rewarding, however, for the fact that Robison embarks on it somewhat begrudgingly. There is a veil of bitterness and a palpable stubbornness that emanates from his singing and songwriting, and it is when those things finally ebb into disappointment that we are offered a rare glimpse of Robison with his guard down; so distraught is he on this abum that he can no longer rely only on the humor and sarcasm through which he has often discharged his feelings into lyric.

On Beautiful Day we see a Robison who is heartbroken and harboring a pain that his background and machismo won’t fully allow him to bear. “Reconsider,” written by Keith Gattis and Charles Brocco, is a devastatingly honest plea for reconciliation, while the self-penned following track “Feelin’ Good” admits resignation to the fact that you can’t change what you can’t change, even when you had–and would give anything to get back–an angel who “promised she’d deliver.”

“She’d save my soul,” Robison sings. “But she left a hole.”

By the time the disc rolls into its final few tracks the lyrics have devolved slightly (becoming somewhat less focused that those that make up the first half-dozen stellar songs), but Robison dives head first into the music, offering up a final string of performances that read like absolute emotional immersion. Although “If The Rain Don’t Stop,” “Middle of the Night” and “She’s So Fine” are middling by the standards of the rest of the album, it is on these three tracks that Robison sounds immeasurably connected, a man with a guitar clinging to the only thing he has left, as if he’s using his art to shield him from a inconsolably painful world.

His closing take on Springsteen’s “Racing In The Streets” (from 1978’s Darkness on the Edge of Town) is both eerie and gripping, a fitting end to an album that is not entirely hopeful. It’s inclusion here is telling, and makes you wonder just how beautiful Charlie Robison’s days are these days.

4 Stars

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  1. [...] did Jim over at The 9513… 18 June 2009 Biting Other Blogs, Blogroll, Music, Texas Music, blah blah [...]

  2. [...] From The 9513 review: “Birthed in the aftermath of a divorce from his wife of nine years, Dixie Chick Emily, Beautiful Day is both Charlie’s most inspired disc and his most listenable, an album that beautifully balances hooky rhythms and crisp production with his typically razor-sharp lyrics…” — Jim Malec [...]

  3. [...] from the Texas music titan chronicles his divorce from Dixie Chick Emily (Irwin) Robison. Read The 9513’s review. Two winners will also get a [...]

  1. Kelly
    June 3, 2009 at 3:54 pm Permalink

    I love this guy, and cant wait. caught him live recently and he put on an inspired set with new tunes…hhmm, he just might be on the next podcast too, with another texas legend….i dont know….

  2. Kelly
    June 3, 2009 at 3:59 pm Permalink

    he played a Bare Jr. cover of “Nothin’ Better To Do” and said it would be on the disc too…is it on the final product?

  3. Mike Parker
    June 3, 2009 at 4:52 pm Permalink

    I’m looking forward to this as well. I think Bruce is more consistent, but when Charlie’s on his game, he comes up with some brilliant stuff.

  4. Leeann Ward
    June 3, 2009 at 5:04 pm Permalink

    I haven’t been able to get into Charlie’s music like I have Bruce’s. Maybe this one will help.

  5. CMW
    June 3, 2009 at 5:44 pm Permalink

    This sounds really interesting. Looking forward to it.

  6. Jim Malec
    June 3, 2009 at 5:55 pm Permalink

    The disc does include the Bare Jr. song.

  7. Leeann Ward
    June 3, 2009 at 6:06 pm Permalink

    Well, I’m going to have to take back my lukewarm response to Charlie. I decided to listen to clips of his again and I like what I heard much better than the last time I tried. I especially like what I’ve heard from Life of the Party and Good Times. Downloading the albums now. Is Step Right Up good? I wasn’t sure from the Amazon clips.

  8. Brady Vercher
    June 3, 2009 at 6:17 pm Permalink

    Step Right Up is all right, but Good Times and Life of the Party are my favorites. I’ll have to give this one a better listen to see where it ranks on my list, but there’s some good stuff.

    I tried to nominate “My Hometown” for our class song back in high school and the teachers didn’t like the reference to pot. I think the song that ended up being chosen was about tricks or something. “El Cerrito Place” is another favorite.

  9. Leeann Ward
    June 3, 2009 at 6:29 pm Permalink

    I just bought Step Right Up too, because I’m a compulsive completest, unless I can’t stand something, of course.

  10. Clemson Brad
    June 3, 2009 at 7:00 pm Permalink

    Step Right Up is good, but it is definitly his worst album. I would say Life of the Party is his best with Good Times closely behind.

    I am a huge fan of The Robison boys, and I CANT WAIT for this album. It has been so long since “Good Times” and by the sound of this review, I think I am really going to enjoy it. When does this come out?

  11. Trailer
    June 3, 2009 at 7:01 pm Permalink

    This is probably my most anticipated album of the year, so I’m glad it suited your fancy, Jim. Can’t wait to get my ears on it.

  12. Kelly
    June 4, 2009 at 9:02 am Permalink

    Step Right Up may not be his best, but saying it’s his worst is kinda like when Albert Pujols worst year for home runs was less than 38…it’s still really good…

    Leeann, you’ll probably feel that it was worth the purchase after hearing John O’ Riley, Depserate Times, and The Preacher…those are my faves at least.

  13. Mike Parker
    June 4, 2009 at 10:07 am Permalink

    I’d probably put Step Right Up above Good Times. It might not be as cohesive as his other albums, but Step Right Up has far more killer songs than missteps. My favorites are John O’Reilly, The Preacher, and Tonight.

    Good Times holds together better, but I seem to treat it like I treated my first Bon Jovi album (Slippery When Wet) on cassette- that is, I listened to the first five songs over and over and never cared for the back half. My favorite on that one is probably “The Bottom” which reminds me of the bar scene in the movie version of “The Shining” strangely enough.

  14. Kelly
    June 4, 2009 at 10:11 am Permalink

    …oooh, I forgot about “tonight”, maybe my favorite track on the entire disc, and easily in my top 10 Robison tracks overall

  15. Ben Milam
    June 4, 2009 at 11:07 am Permalink

    i literally wore out a copy of life of the party the summer of 02. got me through some hard times. it’s a bold statement about his writing being better than bruce. but i’m glad he is returning to form. would love to listen to charlie doing bare jr. gotta go get this and the new bingham today.

  16. Sabrina5000
    June 19, 2009 at 3:55 pm Permalink

    Don’t know too much about Charlie’s music but if he’s from Texas it’ll probaby be a great cd. I hear Brother Bruce is a great songwriter.

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