CD Reviews Articles
On Call of the Wild Cello:
If you never thought a cello could be an instrument of intense music beyond
the bounds of a string ensemble, you need to hear British Columbia's Corbin Keep.
He attacks the cello like a rocker on folk-based romps such as "The Feast" and
"Flavour of the Minute." He produces hauntingly beautiful sounds in "Common
Thread" and a frenetic intensity in "Aliens." Add to his talents the passionate vocals,
intelligent and often humorous lyrics and solid writing and you have a unique treat.
- Mark E Waterbury, Music Morsels
***
'Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave
a trail'.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
I think that Corbin Keep, hiding himself away on Bowen Island, just west of
Vancouver (BC) is all too familiar with both Emerson, and Emerson’s forest. His
debut CD is nothing less than completely unique and engaging. As he is basically
creating his own genre of music here, there really is nothing and no one to compare
him with, and that’s the beauty of what he has created.
Corbin’s music and his perspective are very refreshing, and the musical moods that
he creates, starting with his Cello, are amazing. Add to this Corbin’s unique vocal
stylings, which is a worthwhile acquired taste, and you have plenty to contemplate as
you listen. You will be challenged both musically and lyrically. One moment, we are
seduced into a beautiful world where we all could get along as in ‘Common Thread’
(with the lines ‘we are woven of a common thread, indivisible but for our heads’), and the
next we are contemplating the bizarreness of our existence through the words and lyrics
of the very catchy ‘Aliens’. And, just like with aliens, you’re going to have to hear to believe.
I always knew I liked the cello, but now, as it is pushed to new heights, I like it even
more. It’s beautiful to hear what one man can do with one instrument. The songs are
decorated with other instruments, but it is always the cello masterminding the songs.
That, and Corbin’s words, insights and humour, make each song an all around delight.
It’s hard to not recommend this CD to just about anyone, but what it does best is
offer a shining example of what fun it is to discover what it’s like to do your own
thing, with no apologies to anyone.
Keep it up Corbin, we could use some more of you down here.
- Steve Allat, The Muse’s Reviews
***
Comparison may be the critic's most frequently used tools. It is not available in the
case of a truly novel record like this one. This is cerebral adult pop cello fronting
electric bass and drums. Occasional guitar (also by Mr. Keep) and percussion lure the
listener briefly into familiar territory, but by and large, this is new terrain. As a singer
and songwriter, Keep is in an early Bowie / late Kinks mode, bouncing from humor to
fantasy to serious monologues, both interior and extroverted.
Early on, the record makes one wonder why cello is so neglected in popular music
and, of course, one gets the idea that this artist must have a unique mastery of his
instrument in order to communicate with it as he does. It is quite versatile, with warm
resonance and a range of tones that neither guitars nor guitar/amp/effects combinations
could easily match. After listening to the record, it stays with you like that immensely hot,
brief fling from long ago that your spouse doesn't know is often responsible for your
pleasure five years into a marriage.
Press materials refer to Corbin Keep being described by some as the "Jimi Hendrix of
the cello" and note that "Purple Haze" sometimes turns up in his live set list. Well, if
Hendrix is your bag, then go for that line and buy this record. I will say, more
broadly, that he appears to be able to do whatever he wants to do with his
instrument, and that his imagination leads him to do things no one else would think
of. I hope he has a chance to come south from Canada and appear live somewhere
near Wilmington. He is the sort of artist who refreshes the imaginations of other
artists.
Eight and a half songs (you have to hear it). Pure recording, designed to capture and
share real sound.
- On The Street (webzine)
***
The cello is beautiful. Most everyone agrees on that. It is often the instrument of
choice in movie soundtracks to evoke beauty, serenity or sadness. But what is often
overlooked is how, in the right hands, the cello can evoke joy, exuberance, even
ecstasy. Corbin Keep has just such hands.
On his CD, "Call of the Wild Cello", Corbin (the self-proclaimed wild cellist) tears
through nine original tunes, one instrumental and the rest with lyrics, playing
acoustic cello, guitar and singing in his rich baritone. He is also accompanied by
electric bass, drums and percussion, giving him the freedom to go soaring freely
into the nether-regions of the cello’s upper register. This is not to say that Corbin
isn't capable of holding down a funky driving groove, because he can do it like
nobody's business.
Lyrically, Corbin tackles environmental and social concerns ("Pulse of the Forest",
"Common Thread") as well as just good fun about wild beasts and aliens. He offers
a nice variety of sounds and textures and, happily, doesn't take himself too
seriously. He knows how to have some fun. The song, "What's Up" has the refrain
"what's up today is nothing's gonna bring me down" which seems to truly capture
the mood of this optimistic, energetic disc. Every note is played with passion and
conviction and you just know that Corbin cares about what he's doing. And Mr.
Keep is indeed capable of chilling out. Some of the music on this disc is calm, moody
and beautiful.
After all, that's what cellos were made for right?
- Gideon Freudmann, Cello City Ink, Magazine of the New Directions Cello Association
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