Blame It On Rock & Roll Jonesboro GA

Blame It On Rock & Roll

Robin Brock

A2 Records, 1999

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01/08/2001

Many famous musical acts have come from Canada - but it's been awhile since I heard someone like Robin Brock, who was able toimpress me from the first moment and not disappoint.

Her debut CD, Blame It On Rock & Roll, brings to mind images of AnnWilson in her vocal style, though she nimbly shifts gears betweenrock stylings and pop sensibility without making it sound awkward.Hundreds of artists have struggled with this; some have learned howto do it, some still couldn't get it right with a schematic. Brockseems to do this on instinct, separating her from the rest of thepack.

If you pick this disc up expecting a carbon copy of Heart,you'll be disappointed. However, Brock succeeds on her own terms -and I'd much rather see that than hear a copy of an establishedact. Tracks like "I Lied," "Just A Fantasy," "Lipstick And Lace"and "Drowning" all show off a talent which can only be described asbeing the next big thing.

But where would Brock fit in the best? After all, this issomeone who can pull out the stops with the best of them, as heardon "Rockin On The Airwaves". But she also sounds comfortable doingsongs in a less powerful vein, as heard on the pop-rocker "It's MyHeart" or on the aforementioned "Drowning". The fact is, Brockwalks both sides of the pop/rock line without weakening herposition on either one of them - another skill that so many bandshave failed to grasp over the years.