ROBIN OVERALL - Shadowlands

Excellent debut studio disc from this outstanding, dynamic, bluesy heavy guitarist
from Texas with a direction/vibe that is heavily inspired by Eric Johnson. Featuring
10 tracks of awesome, deep, organic bluesy heavy guitar grooves that are Highly recommended
to fans of E.J., David Spann, Phil Keaggy and other top shelf world-class axemasters.
*SPECIAL LOW PRICE*

::TRACKS::

1. Shadowlands (sample clip)
2. Miles Away
3. Really Living (sample clip)
4. Looking For An Angel
5. Love Tells No Lies
6. Farther Down The Road (sample clip)
7. Call My Name Again
8. State Of Mine (sample clip)
9. Come On In (sample clip)
10. Distant Place

The impact of musical influences on an artist can have consequences (some of them unintended), and these consequences generally manifest themselves in one of two ways: (1) the artist immerses himself so completely in the influence that he loses his personal identity in the process, becoming a non-descript clone, or (2) the artist channels the influence through his personal identity, creating a new alloy which contains both the influence and the personal style of the channeler [it should be said that the more stylized the influence, the more likely you are to end up with (1) above]. Robin Overall is a pretty courageous cat - he's channeled one of the MOST stylized influences possible, Mr. Eric Johnson. That said, the songs, arrangements, vocal prowess, crafted tones and technical skill on exhibition here are a crystal clear indication that Robin's musical vision falls into (2) above...and not only does he NOT fall short of the challenge, he creates his own musical "island universe," indelibly stamped throughout with his own signature style and individuality. That's a tall order, and Robin delivers the goods. "Shadowlands" is musical proof that a stylized influence need not be an identity "body snatcher." Robin succeeds (where most others don't) in stepping out of the shadow of his influence and creating a space all his own...and that's more than I can say for most of his contemporaries. Listen...and learn.
Jimmy Ryan (Truth Squad) (2.08)