Back of the Line (2014)
“Back of the Line” is the last album, released in 2014, and is the 9th release on Free Lunch Productions. Blues, roots and folk influences go into the singer/songwriter pot.
“Back of the line”, the first single, has me wondering if my time is up by means of a visit from a shark. Modern issues of faith and religion are addressed in “Caleb’s calling” and “The old book”, the traditional live staple of “Corrinna” is given a fresh treatment and the blues sentiment of “Save a little something” is given a wrong turn as is the Bee Gee’s song “Holiday”. “Red Ground” gives a take on the life of Mary Livingstone, and the album ends on the foolishly optimistic and upbeat note of “Say the word.”
Recorded over the first half of 2014, the twelve tracks feature Roger Bashew on bass and Paul Tizzard on drums. The rhythm tracks were laid down in Hout Bay at Roger’s Turkeyberry studios, with further tracking and mixing at Robin’s home studio in Kalk Bay. Tom Fox of Bright Blue fame, out for a visit from New Zealand, laid down some guitar tracks on “Say the word” and “Bones never lie”, while Ronan Skillen provided tabla, udu and other various percussion elements. The album will be available on download from iTunes from November, and on CD via mail order from www.robinauld.co.za from the 17th October.
Fingers in my Pocket (2011)
Produced by Simon Horn and Robin Auld in Chiswick London. Drums: Barry van Zyl. Guitars, harmonica and vocals, Robin Auld. Bass: Simon Horn.
An eclectic mix of blues, roots and funky country songs, the new album features the talents of long time collaborator and world beat drummer Barry van Zyl and Aussie producer/bass player Simon Horn. The recent world wide recession and the irony of banking credit checks form the basis of the title track, and the whole album carries a dustbowl humour regarding the loss of both love and money. But while the lyrical themes are certainly blues-based, the African influences are never far away. A varied and musically adventurous collection of songs, described by Robin as “yer basic got them walkin’, credit card, institutional failure, mean women and a sore head blues again” type of album!
Solo acoustic audio
This album is just an online collection of home recordings to give an idea of the solo acoustic vibe. I use a stomp board and a loop pedal to enable slide solos etc. I’ve put a couple of interpretations of some old songs up for interest…Corrina is usually accredited to Trad Arr, but the version I’m most familiar with is Taj Mahal’s version…this is my one. The Willie Dixon song My Babe is pretty well known, having been a No 1 for Little Walter in 1955.
Diamond of a Day (2009)
The new album, “Diamond of a Day”, absorbs the influences of his previous acoustic soul recordings into the big and bold strokes of an immediate pop record. The various influences on Auld’s work, from the established canon of the singer/songwriter to the Southern African, blues and Celtic guitar styles that continue to inspire him, are represented throughout the 13 melody driven tracks all underpinned by his distinctive vocal and guitar phrasings.
It features his Cape Town rhythm section of Peter Cohen (drums) and Nelson Barbosa(bass) on the tracks laid down at Dave Birch’s studio in the tropical heat of Durban, and also several tracks recorded in New York featuring Manhattan based SA drum and bass legends Anton Fig and Keith Lentin.
The various songwriting styles of pop, blues, country and African have merged into a mix of roots and pop influences where mbqanga rhythms pulse under Celtic melodies, high life guitar lines mix with country, blues groove tunes and straight ahead pop songs display Auld’s love of counterpoint and harmony… all while keeping his casual one-take production philosophy.
Over the Mountain (2009)
“Over the Mountain” is a return to the rock trio format that delivered “Zen surfing in the 3rd World”. Simple and unadorned, the album was recorded live at Street Level Studios by Chris Tait, mixed by Richard Black and mastered by Tully McCully. The guide vocals, sung on a SM 58 while the rhythm went down, were kept on many songs and in some instances the solos went down live as well.
The material is a mix of old and new, featuring the trio arrangements established by Barry van Zyl on drums and Schalk Joubert on bass, at a variety of gigs throughout SA in the last year. Bluesy, soulful and keeping the Celtic and African influences that inspire Robin’s music. Also on the album are three songs featuring SA super drummer Anton Fig, who was out from New York, and Nelson Barbosa. Old songs are revisited in the shape of “Sesheke Town” and a reggae version of “Baby you been good”, and more recent material such as “Perfect Day” and “Something that I know” gets the 3-piece treatment. New tracks include “Supermodel”, already shaping up to be a single, as is the version of Rikki Tikki Tavi, the Donovan song that’s become a live staple.