Customer Reviews

The River Turns The Wheel

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This guy is the best folk singer I've heard in years. I first heard one of his songs on the radio a year or two ago. The song was Stella Kerouac and I was so moved by it, I pulled off the road and called KPFA to find out who the artist was. Only recently did I find his CD, River Turns the Wheel. Bob Martin is a mixture of Dylan, John Hiatt and maybe even a tinge of Mark Knopfler. He is the real deal. The CD is produced with just a minimum of accompaniment and it's all good. Every song is a poem. Some of them are funny; some of them will bring tears to your eyes. My only hope is that Martin doesn't get discovered by some major label who puts a rock band behind him and covers his voice with reverb.

As a fan of Bob Martin from way back, the only complaint I have is that a major label hasn't snatched him up so more could share this great songwriter and singer. Folk doesn't quite describe this CD. It's too confining a label .Witty and gritty and real, he pulls you into his world with a Dylanesque rasp and lyrical storytelling. A must for the well rounded CD collection.

This CD is in deed a treasure. I never remove it from the CD player. Martin is one of those writers you would love to talk to, to share a glass of wine with and listen to his stories about being on the road. His warmth, detail and phrasing in the tight lyrical structure of his story-songs lets you know immediately that there is something exceptional going on here. He's been around for a while. Check out his interesting biography at www.riversong.com. Aside from the fact that Bill Morrissey does some great backing vocals on "Stella Kerouac", this CD stands on the quality songwriting. Martin outdoes himself in these songs written with such depth and beauty. Martin is hard to classify. He's acoustic, alternative, roots,folk,rock something. I love the quote comparing him to Emily Dickinson. He does have that same offcenter perspective somewhat like Dylan. The hairs literally stood on the back of my neck listening to that slightly raspy voice sing songs that are like short novels. Don't miss this one. I had to search to find his first two albums so many years ago. A treasure for years to come. Thank you Amazon.com

Bob Martin has been a long time coming.With this album The River Turns The Wheel he will bring you home with sweet memories.His style is crisp and clean and there has not been anyone this good in a long time.It is a must in a music collection.

It's been a long time since prose and poetry melded to stir the senses and evoke such a discernable place and time. With his gifted narrative songwriting, Martin draws you in like a warm fire on a cold winter night, sits you down, pours you a drink and tells you a story. You are immediately transported to small river towns in the post-industrial northeast or along the sunlit coast of S. America, and find yourself following along with strong visual imagery of the colorful characters of his songs. The stories stay with you long after this disc has played out.

Bob Martin has certainly refined the art of songwriting. The legendary singer-songwriter traces his roots to the Cambridge MA folk music community. A contemporary of Dave Van Ronk, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and Tom Paxton, Martin's recent release, "The River Turns The Wheel" more than demonstrates just why Bob Martin is considered by folk music purists, to be a truly one of a kind artist. As a teacher of traditional Appalachian folk music, Martin proves to be a good student of the genre as well as his new release attests. What makes Martin distinctive among his contemporaries, is his uncanny ability to visualize through his words , classic visions of Americana. Martin's lyrical landscape presents the listener with vivid images of factory workers, farm hands, coal miners, and swimming holes. "The River Turns The Wheel" features such Bob Martin classics as: "American Street Dream," "Silver Rails to Rio," "When Cotton Was King," and "Stella Kerouac." Like a cool summer breeze, Martin's voice and music ring true.

I gave this CD to my husband who had heard him years ago and has been searching to hear him again. He loved the CD and so do I. Reminds me of Dylan, but is his own artist. Quite polished, great poetry. Definitely worth enjoying.

wonderful,gritty lyrics sung in that raspy smooth voice! Bob Martin is a singer songwriter extraordinare. His songs transport you into his world from the first notes to the last. What a treat to replay this CD time and time again.

The strongest aspect of Martin's songwriting is his ability to make real the characters who tell his stories. Since I've had the fortune to possess his first two albums (Midwest Farm Disaster & Last Chance Rider), I know that he has had this talent for many years. Fortunately again, Martin has only improved with time. His voice is incredibly confident and never leaves you doubting the integrity of the words or the scenes he sets. Some great tracks are Daylight And The Dream, The Old Worthen, and Sweet River Days. The song Stella, however, is a classic. You won't forget her; Kerouac never did.

I saw Martin open for Merle Haggard in Burlington, Vt. and I was completely taken by surprise. Martin took the stage with just a guitar and stood alone in the spot light. He did the first song on the CD, "American Street Dream". At the end of the song, the crowd was silent for one second then burst into wild applause. The crowd wouldn't let him off the stage. Very hard to pull that off when your opening for Merle. Martin is anything but country, he's somewhere out in acoustic, alternative, roots sheer genious. I love this CD. This CD is some of the best writing I've heard from any songwriter. A new Martin fan forever.