Road Dog is a six track mini album and aims to be an ideal introduction to the world of ROBERT BROWN. However after being introduced into the music industry at the age of seventeen and accumulating some classic rock and roll stories that include being harassed by Boy George’s record producer and even witnessing his promoter getting shot, Robert Brown still seems uncertain of who he is trying to be.
This is a shame because over half the music on Road Dog is absolutely stunning. The mini album begins with the title track that showcases Brown’s masterful guitar work with some spell binding finger picking. Brown’s voice is comparable to the bluesy style of early Stephen Stills and the use of bongos as the song progresses certainly brings to mind Still’s monster hit Love The One Youre With. Hooks develop instinctively from the music rather than being crow-barred in. It’s an engaging and promising opener that implies there is a great deal of depth to Brown’s writing.
Unfortunately the two tracks that follow are utter dross. Removing the rawness and intensity from the albums opener, Your Good Girls Gonna Turn So Bad is a clichéd country rocker that rhymes ‘bad’ with ‘sad’ and makes Bryan Adams seem dangerous. No Fool Like An Old Fool is even worse and finds Brown toying with a Desperado-type Eagles’ backing track and a breathy delivery that the X Factor’s next hip boy band would probably even consider a too obvious attempt at wooing the female market.
But just as you’re about to write Brown off something truly astonishing happens. Oh My Head is a completely solo and (presumably) live performance. Stripping away the misjudged polish of the previous two tracks, this is Brown’s rich voice accompanied by his magnificent acoustic playing. It’s a complete revelation. The guitar work is good enough to match anything from the second side of Led Zeppelin (I don’t say that lightly) and Brown’s dreamy progression through collapsing suspended chords is simply beautiful. The influence of Stephen Stills is again obvious and occasionally Brown’s lyrics concerning the “last of the wandering souls” lack uniqueness but overall Oh My Head is bursting with a stripped back honest desire that is impossible to deny.
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Ocean of Stars carries on in a similar fashion and includes some wonderfully percussive Pete Townshend style playing. Unfortunately the use of studio trickery takes away from the stark bleakness of Brown’s performance but the song is good enough to survive. The mini album then ends with a completely solo rendition of the title track and is far superior for discarding all the distractions and letting Brown’s natural talent and shamanistic playing take centre stage.
Robert Brown is a singer songwriter in the seventies mould but one who certainly holds enough talent to compete with his influences. If he stays away from the middle of the road he could produce something truly astounding in the future. For now, listen to this from track four onwards.
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