ALBUM:
In Progress
TAYLOR USED:
612ce
SONG CLIPS:
For Today
28K | 56K | MP3
The Beginning
28K | 56K | MP3
CONTACT INFO:
Menage a Music
P.O. Box 204
Atco, NJ 08004
E-mail:
menage 98@aol .com
Web:
www. robinRenee .com
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"I like taking snapshots of emotions that are hard to describe," says singer-songwriter Robin Renée of her songcraft. The 13
"snapshots" that make up Progress find Renée adjusting the aperture of her mind's eye to explore the deep, complex emotional
experiences that defined her early adulthood. Renée opens the title track by acknowledging the circuitous path of progress: "Time
to find my way back home", and later in the song affirms her artistic identity: "I'm a camera in disguise/ Clicking off the
snapshots as each new pose arises...." Progress shows Renée coming of age, awakening her artistic voice, negotiating love's
challenging currents, learning to get up after falling, and progressing forward - or around a metaphorical circle.
"In the end I feel we all come back around," she sings in "The Beginning", and in the chorus: "Here I go again to the start of
things." Renée's vignettes chronicle an artist's inward spiral through the layers of experience to reveal the soul.
The Atco, New Jersey-based artist learned classical piano as a child, but later embraced the guitar for its portability. An
artistic epiphany came in her teens as she watched David Bowie perform on Saturday Night Live in a long gown. For Renée, the
dramatic moment dissolved gender conventions and inspired her to use poetry and music to express her own bisexual identity.
Renée's musical style blends a poet's eye with Punk and Post-punk's independent, defiant spirit, New Wave's quirky art-pop, and
the edgy introspection with which singer-songwriters like Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Elvis Costello, and Patti Smith dissected
life. Renée has referred to herself as "a balladeer through the emotional filter of underground rock," but Progress showcases a
diverse range of musical temperaments, from acoustic pop ballads to searing, guitar-propelled rockers to an a cappella tune, all
reflecting the shifting emotional terrain of our lives.
Renée teamed up with Philly-based producer Jayar (Chaka Khan, George Benson, McFadden & Whitehead), who strayed from his R&B
background because he was drawn to the honesty and strength that infused Renée's rock material.
Renée's lyrical intensity and sharp perception give Progress a dynamic emotional breadth.
On "Silent Partner", an electric guitar's dirty distortion throttles with urgency as Renée responds to a partner's slide
into numbing addictions. A bounding bassline melodically anchors the bright acoustic pop jangle of "For Today". On "Progress",
the Rittenhouse String Quartet elevates Renée's gentle acoustic reflections with elegant grace. A slick R&B groove helps Renée
turn the page on "Spiritual Ink", while the punchy pop-rock of "Pennies and Perfume" is powered by a serrated guitar riff on the
verse, then shifts to a shimmering arpeggio beneath Renée's delicate vocal. "I Could Love You" engraves a playfully insistent pop
melody with lighthearted lyrical irony. Renée's musical vision, coupled with Jayar's production and supported by strong lead guitar
(Tim Jordan, Mike Carlino, Reggie Wu) and fluent bass, invite repeated listening.
Outside of music, Renée is a poet and essayist who has been published in such journals as The New York Quarterly, Inciting
Desire, and Northeast Corridor. She is also an activist with several bisexual advocacy and social groups, and works to develop social and
support networks.
"Polished, biting songs, featuring lyrics that are both down-to-earth and abstract. Renée's expressive, idiosyncratic singing and catchy tunes...[have a] jangly, sometimes hard-driving folk-rock flavor that packs a subtle punch. Poignant and arresting..."
— Star Ledger
"Whether the dynamic punch of the Patti Smith-like "Empire" and "Silent Partner," the poppy acoustics of "For Today,"…or any of the other fine tracks, Renée never lets the listener down."
— Courier News
"Robin Renée is a…favorite for the passion of her songwriting…Robin will win you over with her blend of melody and emotion."
— Jersey Gaze
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