Tad Robinson to celebrate new CD with show

Tad Robinson will celebrate his new CD, "Day Into Night," with a series of CD release shows, including a Friday, April 10 kickoff in his Greencastle hometown.

Robinson will perform his soul/blues sound from 7:30-10:30 p.m. at the Inn at DePauw in celebration of his new album coming out on Severn Records.

He and his band will be joined by special guests legendary Chicago Blues performers Dave Specter and Jimmy Johnson for a CD release party.

Severn Records has announced an April 21 release date for the new CD from the seven-time Blues Music Award nominee.

The new CD is a follow-up to his last release, "Back in Style" (2010), and features the soul/blues singer backed by the Severn Records house band of Johnny Moeller, guitar; Kevin Anker, keyboards; Steve Gomes, bass; and Robb Stupka, drums; with special guest appearances from blues guitar heavyweights Alex Schultz and Anson Funderburgh.

The veteran team of musicians, recorded at Severn Sound Studios in Annapolis, Md., shows its experience by focusing on how best to serve each song.

"It's not about excess," Robinson notes, "rather, paring down the accompaniment to the essence of each song."

That restraint is obvious throughout "Day Into Night," enabling Robinson's soulful vocals to take front and center.

Included in the new album's dozen tracks are mostly original songs crafted by Robinson, Gomes and Anker, including "Nightwatch," which showcases the always tasteful fretwork of Schultz, Robinson's longtime collaborator.

"Severn's creative studio environment produced a spontaneous combustion, resulting in Alex's gorgeous rhythm guitar part on 'Nightwatch,' which anchors the tune," recounts Robinson.

Funderburgh lends his signature stabbing, punctuated guitar lines on "Lonely Talking," the deepest soul/blues cut on the album.

"Anson provided a real gut-check with a call and response to my vocal, which gives it deep passion and intensity," Robinson said.

Additional highlights include the opening track, "Soul Lover," with its elegant horn chart courtesy of arranger Kenny Rittenhouse; the infectious soul of "Mellow in Love" and "Love Is a Winner;" and the band's reworking of Bobby "Blue" Bland's up-tempo number, "Lead Me On."

"This goes to the heart of the record with its message of trust and humility," Robinson said. "In the end, that is the essence of the entire disc."

The songs contained on the new CD are reflections of the way people connect, love and remember. They flow from soul celebrations of sturdy, tested love to the blues of relationships tangled up in doubt, old flames and new attractions, with the inevitability of "Day Into Night."

In addition to the April 10 performance at the Inn at DePauw, Robinson will celebrate th CD release with subsequent shows April 11 at Player's Pub in Bloomington; May 21 at the Slippery Noodle Inn in Indianapolis; and May 22 at the Jazz Kitchen, also in Indianapolis.