Music Review: Rob Owen
As we found out recently from his San Fran Voice interview, Rob Owen is a local indie singer/songwriter whose work takes a serious look at emotional tumult but spins it with personal insight that makes it enjoyable to listen to. Rob’s new CD, Barefoot in the Rain, is filled with songs that exhibit this thread in his work. And while it could be difficult to listen to the heartache that he displays so matter-of-factly in his songs, it proves to be quite the opposite because of the tack he takes and the music with which he supports his message.
Take, for example, the title track on Rob’s new CD. While it touches on the difficulties that can happen in living a life, it brings with it the reminder that you can’t be held down by your problems. And it suggests that you not “lose sight of what it means to be barefoot in the pouring rain”. It’s such a simple image and yet you can remember that feeling of the last time that your feet touched rain on concrete or grass and you were totally in touch with yourself and the world around you.
Rob’s music does this for you, not just with the lyrical reminders but with the warm immediacy of his voice. Its depth is highlighted by the simple instrumentals that serve as a background in the same way that a landscape sets the scene for the subject of a photograph. Even in songs that reek of more desperate feelings (like Way Too Much which has a title that only hints at the overwhelming sense of the emotions felt there), the music provides a sort of lightness to Rob’s deep voice and the contrast serves to underscore the contrast of bad and good that make up a lifetime of experiences.
Rob won’t be playing live in the city anytime soon (although he’s in Palo Alto at the end of August) so you might as well check out the new CD. Get info on hear tracks on his MySpace page.
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