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Musician
Music
    April 2018: Robin has released his 5th album. Titled "Orewa Heartbeat" it features brand new songs, and a couple that have been 'on the shelf' for years. For a taster, listen to orewaheartbeatrobinkelly.hearnow.com View also on YouTube. Review from Gary Allen 2010 ( see Robin's feature page on Tennessee Concerts.) "Robin Kelly is a kindred and creative spirit that has appeared on my favorite late night talk show, Coast to Coast AM. Art Bell has played my band's music for bumpers for fifteen years. They have good taste, even though they play " The Devil Went Down To Georgia" every time they have a Satanist or self proclaimed witch on board. I will ask Robin who built the pyramids and tell him my theory on why I get abducted by Aliens. It's my last name; they don't seem to pay attention to details :) I digress. Robin's voice is instantly intoxicating and the songwriting is from the heart and enchanting, even other worldly. Touching life stories and personal reality lyrics that are simplistic and comfortable as some of John Lennon's work. He has been compared to Lennon by other reviewers and indeed some of the Beatle's most beautiful ballads were indeed penned by John. After listening to his latest CD release "Something Magical" Robin is forcing me to use words like gorgeous, to describe his melodies and timeless to describe the songs. There aren't other words to use. Compiled meticulously, his four CD's are personal deep, complex, and even enchanting. My former band mate Charlie Daniels toured with Leonard Cohen in the late 60'. Robin is a big fan of Cohen and so am I. I hear the influence in Robin's thoughtful, heartfelt lyrics in tracks from "Shimmer", just released this year in the United States and a huge hit on the thriving indie scene in this country. My more recent bandmate JJ Cale, added rhythm guitar to Paul Simon's Graceland, another influence of Robins'. We have some connections in influences that prove it's a small world no matter what island you are living on. I did a few shows with Don McLean as well who Robin is in the same league with, in my opinion, whether he would admit to it or not. Robin Kelly has carried his songs around for years but soon they will carry him around. Great songs will have you living out of a suitcase and doing their bidding. You will receive untold affection by adding music to poetry. Robin is a great artist, a nice man, a doctor, songwriter, author and is compassionate with his charity work. He offers downloads of his songs for a donation to hungry kids living in poverty. I am proud to be a fan, a friend, and sharing the planet with a talented, and humble,troubadour. Thank you my friend for providing the uplifting songs that were exactly what I needed to get me through the gray industrial winter." -Gary Allen (The Charlie Daniels Band/JJ Cale) Free Download Bare Eternity Remix iTunes From "Something Magical" Free Donation Downloads of selected tracks from complete collection. Black Ice Silk & Knives Shimmer Something Magical  Bare Eternity Lyrics  Robin Kelly is an experienced and eclectic singer/songwriter with four albums of original songs released since 1998.His songwriting flourished in the 90s as his life and health became more aligned. Prior to this his involvement in music had been very sporadic - from being the drummer as a Beatles-besotted 12 year old in his school band The Demons, to performing in a haphazard way at his university Folk club. In 1996, he wandered into a small independent recording studio run by Eamon O'Kane off Dominion Road in Auckland, clutching an old battered acoustic guitar. After much persuasion, Robin convinced Eamon to record a demo track "They Gave You His Name", a song about a World War 2 war veteran.Pleased with the result, Robin and Eamon continued to meet on Thursday afternoons until,eighteen months later, his first album 'Black Ice' was complete. (not to be confused with the AC/DC album Black Ice released a full 10 years later!) His second album was recorded at Jim Morrogh's Manuka Studios in Orewa, North of Auckland. It was there he was introduced to multi-instrumentalist and arranger Mike McCarthy who has guided Robin through two other albums - the softer 'Silk and Knives' completed in 2002, and the contemporary country-tinged 'Shimmer' in 2006. Combining with Robin and Mike is leading New Zealand guitarist Robin Galley. 'Shimmer' was nominated for USA Indie Music Digest 2010 Album of the Year. That year Robin released his 4th album 'Something Magical'. He was runner-up in Gary Allen's Nashville 2010 Song of the Summer, and is featured on Nashville's Tennessee Concerts website. Robin performs his songs lives as part of his presentations and workshops, and as showpieces at conferences. His style is unique, but strong influences such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young are clearly evident in his songs. He loves all types of music, but the new breed of alternative country performers - including Allison Kraus and Ryan Adams - particularly excite him. Van Morrison, Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Ron Sexsmith are also favourites. NB. This website will soon have MP 3 acoustic sound clips, and on line purchases of all 3 CDs. Meanwhile contact us for orders.     Review extracts of Robin's CDsBlack Ice (1998) Silk & Knives (2002) Shimmer (2006) Black Ice “….I'm still not sure what genre to say, unless 80s-pop-folk. But that's not really right. I'm afraid this is 1 occasion where you can't take my words for it, you've just got to listen to Robin, who is Well worth the trial. Good acoustic performances. A strangely rich darkness that amazingly Never makes you depressed. How is this possible? How can he get AWAY with it?? I don't know.” “…If this is the norm for NZ, I wanna go.” Muse’s Muse Review. USA 1998 “Tender-tongued Aucklander Kelly reflects on urban violence, and close encounters in the Rotorua region with Edge of Darkenss style leads and an unobtrusive drum machine embellishing his own guitar….” Listener. December 12 1998
Muse’s Muse Review. USA. 2002 Shimmer "The recording and arrangement is flawless, creating a full sound, yet without overdoing it. ...Overall this is a well put together album, and would make a good companion on a winding sun-soaked coastal road."New Zealand Musician. Feb/March 2007.
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