Robin James – Saint Jude

Oh Dear. Poor the Robin James. He sounds sad. Unfortunately for him, he also sounds hilarious. The voice is purest Orville the Duck in beak-trembling ‘I wish I could fly’ mode, but this time Keith Harris didn’t skimp on the more brutal truths of the matter. Or Nick Drake after a 12 hour mogadon and helium binge brought on by the death of a favourite pony. The title track, Saint Jude begins…Tell you what. I’ll just quote some of the lyrics. You decide.

Saint Jude

I said a prayer to Saint Jude, the patron saint of a hopeless cause,
I said hey Jude, naa naa naa na na na naa
‘Cos this just feels like we’re crying

Alive That’s All

Across the city on a hot tennis court,
Bounced a ball boy to his dad,
What’s the score my boy, are you keeping count, and he said to his dad,
I’m alive and that’s all

Van Gogh

Excuse me sir, Mr Van Gogh
Why did you cut your ear off?
Were you a little stuck, in a bit of a hole?
And self destruct,
‘Cause there was nowhere else to go?

Well sir, won’t you lend me your ear,
Your wounded world that you painted so clear?
‘Cause I feel alone and a knife is near,
But that’s no excuse to cut off your ear.

Did I say Oh Dear yet?

If any of this had even the gingerest hint of a sly wink about it this would be top of the Christmas pressie list for just about everyone I know. But it’s earnest and firmly shoeward-gazing, and other tracks like Lie Down, Go To the Water and Going Blind don’t let up much either. This will be all be grist to mill for the Kidston-skirt-and-barefoot-whirling classes who will moon and swoon, but for non fizzy-knickered grown-ups it’s all a bit of a teenaged sulk to take seriously.

Stephen Taylor

FolkingCool DVD Extras – Robin James Vocal Style Discarded Metaphor Pile

Duncan Norvelle on 9/11
A mosquito trapped in an empty absinthe bottle
Minnie Mouse on the blob
Shirley Temple looking into a window to the future
Pob hearing about the queen of our hearts Princess Diana’s tragic death
A recently dumped and pregnant Fimble
The last fart on a condemned but well loved office chair