MARCUS CHEONG listens to Australian singer/songwriter Andrea Robertson’s latest album…
Andrea Robertson
Live at New Hall
www.andrearobertson.com.au
In a Word: Intimate
“Live at New Hall is a slice of small town Australia, captured in an honest way. It is proudly local, deeply personal and authentically raw.”
Award-winning singer/songwriter Andrea Robertson’s third album is a bold departure from her first two studio albums. Live at New Hall fuses blues, folk and country in a double disc collection of 18 songs recorded live at the Point Lonsdale art space known as New Hall.
This production was made possible when Andrea won the 2017 Queenscliff Music Festival Emerging Artist Grant. Realising that many of her favorite albums were recorded live, Andrea was inspired to create an album that she describes as having a ”lovely, raw, energy.” The result is an intimate album with soulful vocals and an authentic acoustic atmosphere. The recording not only captures the music but also Andrea’s interaction with the live audience. This serves to draw the listener into the experience even more.
The personal nature of this performance is enhanced by the family members that feature in the show. Husband and drummer David Robertson is part of the core four piece band and her daughter Carly joins them for a song You’ll See written specifically for a mother/daughter duet.
True to the country/blues genre, the subject matter of the songs covers personal relationships, life observations and dealing with daily troubles with a positive hopeful attitude. The pace of the songs runs from introspective, easygoing and reflective in tracks like I’d Like to Think and The Sky Beneath my Feet all the way to lively, get up and dance songs such as Dance The Blues Away and The Right Side of Bed.
The intimate nature of the album also extends to the production ethos with local creatives in every aspect of the recording. Live at New Hall is a slice of small town Australia, captured in an honest way. It is proudly local, deeply personal and authentically raw.
