"Past Lives" by Robert James Grey
Review
"Past Lives", the new Robert James Grey single comes out today, the follow-up to his ecological polemic "Paradise Is Burning".
This one addresses completely different themes and is one of his own favourites from among his body of work. It's worth saying too that his recorded canon is quite small, especially for an artist who has been as esteemed as he has for so long.
This is not a criticism (I've noted before that keeping your fanbase wanting more & excited by releases when they do occur are sound strategies) and quality control is definitely part of this.
I might also say that Robert's intensity as a writer & performer suggest that there is only so much emotion we can process at a given time (I wonder what the reaction would be to a whole album if he ever chooses to go down that path) and he must be pretty exhausted after recording each track.
He also tends to specialise in matters concerning the heart, whether relationships or in this case a more internal reflection.. as he says: "it's a song about the process of shedding our past lives and embracing our current journey." Such interest in the more profound aspects of existence make for not just emotionally enhanced songs but due to the "bigger picture" questions under his artistic microscope, they are much more likely to retain our interest compared with ones about more ephemeral concerns.
Since there can't be anyone to touch him for space within his songs (I admire how not only does he keep arrangements down to a minimum but also sings and plays so consistently slowly), there is plenty of time to drink in what he's saying & you won't miss anything given the stark clarity.
Robert praises the production of James Kenosha: rightly so. While simplicity of arrangements helps keep things this clear, it also leaves no room for error in either performance or process: you have no option here for burying anything in the mix.
I don't know in detail why he likes this one above others: it could easily be some personal resonance of the subject matter. However the lyrics are particularly poetic which offers an alternative explanation and finally, although the overall sound is close to where he usually goes, "Past Lives" has its own more jazz orientated classic torch song feel which I'm sure he enjoys playing. As I'm sure you'll enjoy listening to just as much.
