Chris Robinson article - 9.17.02  

  
"This album is stripped down to who I am and what I am musically; it feels comfortable, like home." 

The Black Crowes' singer radiates contentment as he begins a new chapter in his career with his solo debut, "New Earth Mud" (Redline Entertainment, due out October 22, 2002). The album combines shifting musical textures, reflective lyrics and passionate vocals to create a classic sound that goes beyond trends. "I wanted to make a soulful record because there's nothing retro or modern about being soulful-it's timeless," says Chris Robinson. "I want to make music that is real because that human quality is what makes people feel." 

Despite Robinson’s current peace of mind, don’t think for one second that the fire behind his charismatic voice has diminished. Much to the contrary, the rough-hewn charm and inimitable heart that made Robinson such a compelling frontman with the Crowes is still very much intact. 

"New Earth Mud" features Robinson (guitars and vocals), Paul Stacey (guitar, keyboards, bass), his brother Jeremy Stacey (drums) and Matt Jones (keyboards). The album was recorded in less than a month during the spring of 2002 in Paris. 

Except for a few musical collaborations, Robinson is the sole songwriter on "New Earth Mud". After spending more than a decade creating music in a band, Robinson was ready for an opportunity to establish his identity as a singer and songwriter. "I have a different relationship with these songs because they come from me sitting down alone with an acoustic guitar and working out the melody, lyrics and imagery," he says. "This record is the musical dialogue of an artist in his middle age. It's definitely more representative of how I'm living than other music I've made." 

In the studio, one of the first challenges Robinson faced was making the transition from working with a group to working alone. "It was definitely different," he admits. "Writing the songs was easy, but I really felt naked when I got into the studio and it was just me and Paul. I was saying to myself, 'OK big shot, you've been saying how you wanted to make a record. Well, here it is. What are you going to do?' I love that feeling, and to be honest I hadn't felt that way in a long time. I'm very proud of everything I did in the Black Crowes, but it seems like I've been waiting a lifetime to make this record." 

Robinson co-produced the album with Paul Stacey (Moke, Minutemen) and mixed it this summer in Toronto. "It was like starting on a blank sheet of paper," he explains. "Some days I would move forward, stop, look around, realize I'd gone the wrong way, retrace my steps and start all over again. I learned a lot about songwriting and how I like things to sound by charging into the unknown day after day." 

The freedom to take chances inspired Robinson to create a personal album that reflects his passion for musical exploration. The music's range unfolds as the gentle sadness of Silver Car dissolves into the joyful cosmic country of Sunday Sound and then shifts into a sticky groove for Ride. "These songs have an immediacy for me because I'm singing about where I am in my life and making the kind of music that I love,” quips Robinson. 

Safe in the Arms of Love opens the album with a tense guitar riff and marching rhythm that relaxes into a swirling chorus. The song was written on the first day of recording. "I sat down and that song just poured out," recalls Robinson. "When songs start falling from the sky like that, you don't ask why. You pick them up and take them inside." 

For Kids That Ain't Got None, Robinson uses the simple interplay between acoustic guitar and piano to create the song's wistful melody. Barefoot By the Cherry Tree shares the same uncomplicated arrangement and lonesome mood, but adds mandolins to conjure a pastoral backdrop. "Sad songs only work when they balance our dark emotions with love," says Robinson. "Sad songs share our misery, remind us of better times and hopefully make us feel better." 

The album's psychedelic edge comes through in flourishes of harmonic weirdness on Better Than the Sun and She's On Her Way. The experimental sounds on "New Earth Mud" are something Robinson has been waiting to try. "I've always been interested in cut-up sounds, vignettes between songs and playing with space in music. But I've never had an opportunity to fully explore them until now," he explains. "I get to show off a lot more colors of my soul on these new songs." 

Much like he freed himself to explore musical possibilities on "New Earth Mud," Robinson opened up lyrically too. The songs are the most personal of his career, says Robinson. "When I got off the road with the Black Crowes it felt like I was coming down off the mountain. 'New Earth Mud' is about me looking back at where I've been, talking about what I've seen and sharing the visions I've had," he explains. "Basically, these lyrics are an amalgamation of all the things I've done and felt and what those experiences mean to me." 

One of the album's standout tracks, Silver Car, again returns to the piano and acoustic guitar tandem. The lonesome music mirrors the sadness in Robinson's reflective lyrics about self-examination. "Metaphorically, the silver car is whatever takes you outside of yourself so that you can get an aerial view of who you are," explains Robinson. "If I could levitate out of my body and needed a machine to do it, it would be this silver car." 

The song's opening and closing line-"Took a ride, in a silver car/On a neon day, with a question mark"-illustrates Robinson's fondness for writing songs that are direct musically but remain ambiguous lyrically. "The emotion of the music clearly has a melancholy, sunset vibe, but the lyrics are a bit more obtuse," says Robinson. "That happens because I write a lot of lyrics more from a feeling rather than a solid point of view." 

With Katie Dear and Could You Really Love Me? Robinson abandons symbolism and addresses his feelings directly. He credits that openness to his 2001 marriage to actress Kate Hudson (Almost Famous, 200 Cigarettes). "Having a true and special love in your life will turn you around," says Robinson. "My ambition was to strip away any pretension and write songs about really being in love. I'm comfortable enough in my own skin now to sing about how I really feel." 

Growing up in Atlanta, Robinson was born into a musical family. His parents, Stan and Nancy, are former singers and music was a constant fixture in their home. At a young age, Robinson became a musical sponge that absorbed everything from country and punk to soul and psychedelic. "The records I was listening to-The Byrds, Rain Parade, Dream Syndicate and X-were my world," he says. "They made me feel something and they made me want to be part of the music." 

But it was Robinson's regular journeys to the 688 Club in Atlanta that eventually encouraged him to start a band. "I loved going to see bands and hearing that electricity come through the PA," he recalls. "All my friends were in bands, and that was enough to get me started. I realized that I had something to say and for some strange reason I wanted to get up on stage and say it." 

Chris and his brother Rich founded the Black Crowes in 1984. After selling more than 10 million albums worldwide and earning a reputation for being a daring live band, the Black Crowes went on hiatus in early 2002. 

Robinson signed with Redline Entertainment in the summer of 2002. The move gives him more control over his music and touring schedule. "I want to get out of the machinery of the music business for now," explains Robinson. "Instead of taking three or four years between records, I want to make music that grows when I do. I want to keep my music as liquid as possible." 

Robinson says he appreciates the opportunity to shift gears and show people another side of his music. "I'm lucky to be in a position where people are interested in what I'm doing," he says. "I think the depth and range of this album may surprise a lot of people, but I hope it creates a positive vibe and some joy because that's what it's all about."