Eleven Stories

From the opening notes of "Every Once in a While," Bruce Robison cultivates a laid-back, singer/songwriter mode that mingles well with his reflective lyrics ("Every Once in a While" was co-written by Miles Zuniga). Even on the harder rocking "Virginia," Robison — stringing his words together like a latter-day Dylan — never sounds like a rocker. He demonstrates his mellow folk roots by covering Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter's "Tennessee Jed," offering his version in a style that might be described as mellow gospel. Robison even ventures into a relaxed country mode on Webb Pierce's "More and More," a cover that works particularly well. The color-coated, symbol-divided marks that reveal who plays what on which track are rather confusing, but no more or less difficult than reading the handwritten names (in very small writing) of everyone involved. Suffice to say that the arrangements vary from subtle folk to subtle folk-rock, with acoustic and electric guitars, steel, and keyboards. Robison handles the vocals, though the choruses are occasionally filled out with a female harmony part. Eleven Stories does a good job of moving between ballads and upbeat material, and the quiet reflective nature of the lyrics should make Robison's project of interest to anyone who appreciates a thoughtful song. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., Rovi