Robert Lambie
Album: Moon Bay Tides
Label: Broad Street
Tracks: 13
Website: Robert Lambie

Robert Lambie is a Scottish singer/songwriter; initially from Glasgow, Robert has been based in North-east Scotland for many years, although from an early age he was immersed in music from a wide spectrum of genres including Celtic, traditional, rock, folk and classical - all of which inform the assured musical and compositional climate of Moon Bay Tides, his debut album. It consists entirely of original material, which expresses what amounts to a voyage of creative discovery for Robert as he offers considered insights into the human condition and the resilience of the human spirit through his lyric commentaries.

It's an honest, musically accessible and pleasing enough listen, with accomplished acoustic-based backdrops. The drawback is that these might be considered too smooth for those with more traditionally folk-inclined sensibilities. It wasn't just the prominent, insistent sax line on opener These Are The Days that put me in mind of Gerry Rafferty, but the friendly, well-upholstered arrangements in general; it's all rather mainstream in sound terms, notwithstanding the capable musicianship and production on display throughout.

The only other musicians credited in the booklet, however, are Duncan Wood (violin, mandolin), Chris Triance (tenor sax) and Karen Karlsen (backup vocals), with isolated appearances by a pianist, percussionist and harpist, which begs the question of who else is involved, or whether Robert plays everything else himself. And I can't help finding Robert's singing voice dreary at times, and plain uninteresting at others. But the most curious thing in the end is that, while each individual song sports an attractive melody, the collection as a whole doesn't make a lasting impact in what is getting to be an increasingly crowded marketplace.

David Kidman