Eleven Stories
As a performer, Bruce Robison isn't nearly as well known as his wife, Kelly Willis (who contributes plenty of duet and background vocals here); his brother, Charlie Robison; or his sister-in-law, Emily Robison of the Dixie Chicks. But top country artists all know him and eagerly await each of the songwriter’s albums, because they invariably introduce hit-bound material (the Dixie Chicks, George Strait, and Tim McGraw have all scored big with his songs). The smash-just-waiting-to-happen here is the album's centerpiece, "All Over But the Cryin'," a romantic ballad about hanging on to a relationship that has lost its spark. The bittersweet "Don't Call It Love" also has plenty of commercial possibility, though Robison's strength as a songwriter is that he never sounds like he's writing to formula or with an ear toward radio.  His well-crafted material just goes down as easily as the acoustic, folkish arrangements that dominate the album. His gentle melodies and vocal warmth belie the comparative darkness of "Days Gone By" and the regret of "Every Once in Awhile," while the hardcore roadhouse of "You Really Let Yourself Go," evoking the Buck Owens/Dwight Yoakam school, provides a chance of pace. The choice of covers makes this Robison's most varied release to date, as "Tennessee Jed" highlights the back-porch country side of the Grateful Dead, "More and More" (a duet with Wills) channels Webb Pierce, and "Bandera Waltz" toasts Robison's hometown in the Texas hill country.--Don McLeese