South Florida singer-songwriter, Robert Chaney’s venture over to London to record Cracked Picture Frames and have Ken Blake produce was an inspired and most fruitful one. Brimmed full of stirring tales, swirling guitar, Chaney's work is striped bare other than the soul of the music. Listening to Cracked Picture Frames is like a ghost from America’s 1930s or from a descendant from Boston’s 1960s folk boom raised on the blues of the old black players who left a legacy pure, primitive and honest as the day is long.
Hints of Ray LaMontagne (he too cuts a dark, mysterious figure as on the album cover) waft in and out of his wordy tales, his sharp as barbed wire tones. The cutting edge and punishing fashion he hammers the message of his lyrics home is wonderful, and engaging. So much so the first time I placed his album on my player it was finished awaiting my finger to press replay for a second airing before I knew it. With only his songs, and a rickety acoustic guitar which on occasions festers, akin to stormy waves thrashing rocky cliffs on the shore as frantically, he scrambles for safety of higher ground. On others, the folksy songs it gently fills in the gaps, soothing frayed nerves as on wistful ode “I Didn’t Want Her Anyway”. He even adds to his standard fare a traditional old timey piece in banjo warmed “Birds And Bees”, before moving on to the tragic story of “Corazones Amarillos”, and though fictional it sounds real. Opposed to the final cut “The Ballad Of Edward And Lisa” which was taken from a real event, better still in the ratings you have the eerie “Black Eyed Susan” and with his guitar rumbling as sounds akin to Mississippi on a misty morning rear on “Patch It Up” jolts the listener. Wonderfully emotive it has the listener on the edge of their seat as he tries for all his worth to rekindle an old flame, and obtain a new start in a relationship. Likewise, poetic, wistful almost Dylan-like you have “Does Your Love Pay Out In Full? which possesses much beauty, and no little intrigue as Chaney’s fine tale unravels.
Simply, stark imagery adorn much of his material, stretching from the epic “Cyclist” on through the likes of “The Morning After” as he dodges between heartfelt emotions, and with spare sound of melodic acoustic guitar he nails it.
Chaney is an artist you are set to hear a great more of. Make no mistake about it he is the real deal. With the mould set, a bunch of great music and songs are set to follow.When it comes to selecting my favourite albums of the year Cracked Picture Frames will be in my short list, there's a good chance I may be onto my second copy too with this one worn out!
Maurice Hope