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Member Since: 1/19/2004
Band Members: TO CONTACT ROBERT FRANCIS:
BILL SILVA MANAGEMENT
[email protected]
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AGENCY:
HIGH ROAD TOURING
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PRESS INQUIRIES AT PIRATE PROMOTION
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RECORD LABEL:
AERONAUT
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Sounds Like: PERFORMER MAGAZINE and ANGOLA, INDIANA RADIO PICK "ONE BY ONE" AS THE RECORD OF THE MONTH!
"Francis’ tone has a pillowed edge, which undercuts the gentle ebb from the backing score. His voice converses when it should, consoling from the shadows, and his songs are well-crafted embers that burn with the kind of cadence that glows with authenticity." --- PERFORMER MAGAZINE
"One By One has the feel of driving home from a funeral with the top down. For all the sadness present it’s impossible to imagine that the sun wasn't shining when the songs were recorded." --- REVOLUTION WEAX 88X Radio
ONE BY ONE REVIEWS
The emotion he conveys while singing resembles that of a hardened performer who has been on the scene for decades, paying his dues in grimy bars where no one cared what he played. His songs are both depressing and uplifting. In my little world, that's better than perfect. So perfect, in fact, that I've listened to this record at least 10 times over the past two days.
--- Marc Vera, Entertainment Weekly
Robert Francis also makes use of banjo, lap steel, and parlor piano, recalling great American songwriters like Dylan or Van Zandt without resorting to lyrical clichés or constructed Americana. One album down, and he’s already proving wise beyond his years.
--- Caroline Evans, The Tripwire
Robert Francis' One by One takes you away from the big city bustle and rush into lush flowing open spaces. It will take you inside the soul where we hang on to those memories of easier times, of loss, of heartbreak. Less than feeling painful and heartwrenching, the music feels mellow and real.
--- Mary for Certain, Three Imaginary Girls
It would be an understatement to say that Francis' musicianship belies his young age, as some of One's best songs already harbor the rustic, world-weary quality that many artists spend their careers cultivating. Whether or not Francis has actually experienced the pastoral blues that color his lyrics is beyond the point; his dusty baritone and heartland imagery make the potential fib worthwhile. From the right-handed piano twinkles of opener "Mama Don't Come" to the gorgeously hypnotic, looping closer, there's an airy sense of space to these ten songs. Even the album's most ornate material -- the seven-minute title track, perhaps, with its climax of co-ed vocals and sweeping violin -- is allotted enough room to breathe. When the orchestration becomes lush, Francis usually swoops in with a musical reprieve, be it a momentary break in a riff's rhythm or a touch of reverb to widen the sound. Even more interesting is his love for subtle, esoteric flourishes: a dog barking in the middle of "The Devil's Mountains," right before the bluesy pedal steel gives way to mariachi horns; delayed violin in verse two of "Little Girl"; the church-like harmonies in "Dakota." It's impressive proof that Francis' self-appointment as producer isn't the result of some youthful ego trip, but rather the most logical choice for a penny-pinched teenager -- or, for that matter, anyone whose music mirrors these rustic folk-pop strains.
---Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide (AMG)
The L.A.-native, instead, subscribes to a brand of folk more in line with that of Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and M. Ward, whose bright, gravely baritone Francis' most noticeably parallels. An incredibly gifted musician, who counts the drums, banjo, bass, piano, mandolin and guitar all as weapons of choice, he focuses more on traversing the minutiae of day-to-day life than on trying to change the world. Heartbreak finds its way into the bulk of the songs, but it's never precious to the point of nausea, which can't be said for most artists his age. As first efforts go, there's not much more you can ask for. Keep an eye on this kid.
--- Kevin Kampwirth
Record Label: Aeronaut
Type of Label: Indie