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Most of Robbie Robertson‘s records have been fairly, even madly, ambitious, from the electronica-drenched Native American manifesto Contact From the Underworld of Redboy to the New Orleans-based concept LP Storyville to his guest star-studded (some might say dominated), arena-rocking eponymous debut. After 13 years of film music supervision and record company executivedom, you’d think the former Band leader would be itching to bust out some grandiose major statement.
So the modest How to Become Clairvoyant comes as a pleasant surprise. As with his first solo record, guest stars abound, but with the exception of the duet vocals and guitar of Eric Clapton on “Fear of Falling,” they stay well in the background, letting the leader sit comfortably in the spotlight. Robertson also keeps his sonic ambitions in check, eschewing gimmicks and letting the songs speak for themselves. Lacking a conceptual thread, “He Don’t Live Here No More,” “Straight Down the Line” and “This is Where I Get Off” simply stand as good tunes – thoughtful and melodious – in their own right. Fronted by Robertson’s breathy rasp and laced with his stinging guitar, the arrangements never get in the way of the songs, a notion most of his earlier work can’t claim.
The LP ain’t perfect. The triple-A friendly production gets wearying after a while, and a couple of hellbent-for-leather rockers along the lines of “Hells Half Acre” wouldn’t have been unwelcome. And the acoustic instrumental “Madame X” (another Clapton collaboration) melts into easy listening mush. (The nicely cinematic “Tango For Django” is much better.) But with those flaws mostly overcome by songwriting and performance consistency, How to Be Clairvoyant is one of Robertson’s strongest solo albums.
