Album review: Robbie Robertson, 'How to Become Clairvoyant'
2 stars (out of 4)
“How to Become Clairvoyant” (429 Records), Robbie Robertson’s first album since the ‘90s, is a stately, slow-moving affair, thick with smoky arrangements and songs that look back on his five-decade career with a mixture of fondness and ruefulness. The singer – a ground-breaking guitarist and songwriter in his prime -- reflects on his old road mates, the Band, and their long journey from youthful optimism (“When the Night Was Young”) to dissolution (“This is Where I Get Off”). He provides snapshots of the rock ‘n’ roll life: the sly affection of “Straight Down the Line,” the young guitarist’s awe in “Axman,” the survivor’s don’t-try-this-at-home-kids perspective of “He Don’t Live Here No More.”
Like most of Robertson’s solo albums, the overly careful, layered production comes across as a bit of a cover-up, masking his limitations as a singer. In truth, he’s got a distinctive if limited voice, a weathered narrator trolling through the back-alleys of his past. But its intimacy is compromised by the stolid music. The heavy-duty guest list includes Steve Winwood, Robert Randolph, Trent Reznor and Tom Morello. Eric Clapton plays an even bigger role, a collaborator on seven of the 12 tracks, but he adds little. Only when the guitars of Clapton and Robertson tangle on “This is Where I Get Off” does the album soar, and the listener is left wishing for more moments like that one. They never arrive.
greg@gregkot.com