Customer Reviews

Robinella and the CCstringband

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Robinella and the CC Stringband sound like no other band that has ever come before. This may prove to be a stumbling block at first as nobody knows how to classify them, but it is also the thing that makes them so great. They mix bluegrass, country, and jazz to make a sound that is uniquely theirs. I don't even like any of those categories, except maybe jazz and they've converted me into a huge fan so if those are not your style, not let that stop you from giving them a chance! Robin's voice is beautiful and so engaging, she's impossible not to love. The boys play their instruments with amazing skill and the intrumental solos on this album barely do them justice. Robinella's music sort of reminds me of a cross between Norah Jones and Alison Krauss, so if you liked either of them at all you should try Robinella and the CC Stringband!

I have NEVER come directly from my car stero to the computer to find an artist and CD but I did today after hearing the NPR spot on Robinella & the Ccstring band. I tried to explain the group to my husband as I was doing my search....told him what I heard was sort of a cross between the sweetness and purity of Eva Cassidy & Emmy Lou Harris melded with a great jazz/bluegrass band. He just looked at me. The lyrics of of Dress me up, Dress Me Down will stay with me..touching my own memories. He's not a country fan but I am sure the "folk/jazz" lover part of him will like this CD.

The CC Stringband name is entirely accurate -- this band, aside from Robinella's expressive vocals -- is all strings and almost all acoustic. But out of those strings, two guitars, mandolin, fiddle and bass, and her voice comes some impressive musical diversity. They dish up old time Opry-like rousers, Tennessee Saturday Night; a sweet life story country ballad of love and flannel pajamas, Dress Me Up, Dress Me Down; the always welcome Cajun black magic of Marie Laveaux; mountain gospel, Hold to God's Unchanging Hand; and -- the big surprise -- some jazz blues, the original Honey, Honey Bee and Duke Ellington's Solitude. As the CD booklet photo of Robinella grasping an old-style stand-up stage microphone suggests, this is a CD out of time that makes its own time. And every time I play it a different song jumps out at me, Mistakes is a current favorite, but eventually everything on Robinella and the CC Stringband will command your attention.

I recently received this CD, and I must say it is my new favorite! This is REAL music, from a versatile band who writes original tunes.

This CD doesn't sound "over-processed"- what you hear on this CD is what you hear from them in person (yes, I have heard them live). Robinella's voice is sweet, with a fantastic texture that will likely only improve with age. And she delivers her lyrics with her own STYLE. So refreshing these days! The picking is tasteful, solid and innovative. In fact, I would love to hear a couple of instrumentals on their next CD!

The original tunes on this CD are niiice. The lyrics are poetic with symbolism both musical ("Mourning Dove") and literary ("Man Over", "Dress Me Up, Dress Me Down"), and the melodies are addictive. I find "Honey, Honey Bee" and "Man Over" stuck in my head, and that's all right with me!

I guess the best attribute of this new group is their versatility. Some songs have a distict bluegrass instrumentation and feel ("Man Over" and "Dress Me Up, Dress Me Down") while others are definitely jazz-swing ("Honey Honey Bee", "Marie Leveaux", "No Saint No Prize" and "Candy Coated Valentine"). Still others are country-gospel ("Hold to God's Unchanging Hand")... Brilliant!

Keep an eye out for this group on the music awards shows... I will!

Quite a nice change of pace - the combination swing/jazz/folk works well in their hands, and she does have a voice of honey. Displays a broad range of influences quite effectively. Cool stuff.

At first when I listened to the 30-sec. song samples, I couldn't really figure out what this CD or for that matter Robinella & The CC Stringband is all about. Yes, I saw the "Man Over" video and that was cool, but what about the rest of the CD? Well, I finally spent the few bucks and it is really money well spent! And it is an exceptional album--you've got to listen to it several times to get all the details and the most excellent arrangements. Robinella's voice range of course is superbly represented on this CD. Every song is creative with a bluegrass/newgrass and alt-country undertone, supported by fiddles and dobros, etc., but there's also this touch of blues, jazz, cajun and even gospel which spices up the whole CD and makes it an interesting and pleasant musical work of art. And just like the "Man Over" video brings out, this music is fun and far away from the usual commercial junk. Great job, Robinella & CC SB.

I wholeheartedly agree with Richard Malone. I love this CD and I try to get everyone I know to listen to it because they are bound to love it too. I especially identify with "Dress me up, Dress Me Down". I love the variety of styles, a mix of Rickie Lee Jones, Dolly Pardon and Allison Kraus. I stumbled across this CD and bought it on a whim. Some of the best money I've ever spent. Buy it, you'll love it.

Well, the album is out and I finaly get to review it. We saw Robinella for the first time on the Kasey Chambers tour and we never knew what hit us. "What is this stuff?" we said. Is it bluegrass, is it jazz, is it swing, is it gospel? It's all those things. It is fabulous, undefinable, acoustic American folk music. Robinella's voice is beautiful, the instrumentation is stellar (especially Billy's fiddle -- WOW!!!). Somehow it makes me think of Billie Holiday singing Dawg Music, if that makes any sense... Yessir, real music is happening out there, and Robinella is proof. They must not have known what hit them, to be playing at the Pickin' Parlor one night and opening for Bob Dylan the next... We should all be grateful that something so fresh, creative, and beautiful can actually make it to a major label.

I found tihis CD to be both refreshing and original. Being a great appreciator of music and that it enriches my life, I love it all; classical, R&B, jazz, rock, bluegrass even some pop... You name it, I'll give it a chance to move me. I'll admit that I can be a harsh critic. So I was enthralled when I heard a short ditty and interview on NPR recently. I decided to gamble on the CD and after just a few listenings found myself really liking it. Even my 6 year old daughter can hum a lot of the tunes. This music is hard to describe because it has moments of reminding one of bluegrass, jazz, country, and even Ricky Lee Jones-ish at times! The music and Robinellas' warm voice do not take long to grow on you. There is one other CD that reminds me of this wonderful group and that is "KUKURUZA," (meaning "corn") a Russian folk bluegrass band that is also well worth hearing. Thank you Robinella and the C.C. Stringband. I look foreward to hearing more in the future!

Having heard Robinella & CC when we first moved to the Knoxville area a couple of years ago at Barley's in the "Old City", we were just astounded at the angelic voice Robinella has and the great talent backing her up. The combination of instruments and influences - country, bluegrass, with a touch of soul make for a mixture like no other band. We were able to meet the band on several occasions and actually started to sell their original 2 (homemade) CDs out of our store in Gatlinburg. Great music, the heart and soul of modern Smoky Mountain life. It was such a pleasure to see them "make it" with a record deal. It's great to see such nice people actually work hard and get somewhere, especially from a small city like Knoxville. This album has some of the tracks that were included in the older two albums, but sound much better. A great CD! Highly recommended! We no longer live in Tennessee, but this band (and the great selection of beer at Barley's) is one of the few things we miss the most.