SongVault Artist Profile

International Online Magazine CD Review

Robert Farmer .. ..In A Dream..
Label: Independent Producer: Robert Farmer
Release Date: 2006
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Robert has managed to produce a debut album of stunning worth and equally stunning quality. 'In a Dream' - a rich assortment of skill, talent, and remarkable craftsmanship in music production and sound engineering.

'Angel On The Rooftop' meanwhile is a remarkable achievement musically.
A mood devouring collage of spectacularly conceived instrumentation and sparkling percussion work. All of this is blanketed by a very persuading attention grabber of a vocal that works so well it's hard to resist playing the track over and over again!

'Coming Back To Philadelphia' is a phenomenally brilliant track that I should have heard been given overplay at most FM stations I've plugged into across the planet. For it's complete ingenuity in delivery, production, and musicianship, the track is quite probably one of the best I have ever heard from an independent artist. Watch out for the mesmerizing guitar work and vocals working hand in hand with one another! Brilliant!

'Because Of You' just happens to be a little more David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler, and Eric Clapton infused than the previous tracks but it has it's own indelible Robert stamp all over it. What an immensely gifted artist Mr. Farmer really is!

'Distant Lights' arrives at that point where shimmering disbelief in the artist's talent and artistic ingenuity becomes a model of acceptance. . I would love to see Robert Farmer live in concert and I'd love to meet him after the show just to shake his hand and say 'Errrr thanks Bob!!!'

'Don't Tell Mama' confirms my utter dismay at not being able to see the televised highlights of Robert Farmer's world tour either on cable or DVD! Does the man have no limits? Apparently not... this is music for the masses that the masses are not necessarily aware of! Brilliant bass work fused with some smart and well thought out percussion are overlapped by that forceful male vocal that Robert has nurtured to its entirety! A real gem of a song!

'Farmacology' is something that should be widely available on every performing arts college and university curriculum. The heightened and intricately woven production and arrangements are the hall mark of true craftsmanship in musical expertise! The things those students could learn from Mr. Farmer are likely to be 'uncalculatable!'

'Any Day Now' brings back the magical elements that make this canvas of a CD so spellbinding. Rich vocals and exotically realized piano work are evenly balanced over the depth and meaning in the lyrics. Robert Farmer is dead good at this... emphasizing lyrics in the way that he does with sparkling and skilled musical phrases and a vocal most guys would love to have between their lips!

Sadly, we face the final track on the album - 'Dream Theme' with it's concentrated efforts nestled comfortably into the realm of where some of the most innovative artist/composers tend to spend most of their waking (and sleeping) hours. It's a fascinating track with its fresh approaches to excellence in high-end music production and engineering and with musical phrases and sweepings that are quite possibly unintentionally designed to make your heart and soul plead for more! A superb example of what's possible... brought to the world by someone who knows exactly where that very fine line is drawn!

'In a Dream' by Mr. Robert Farmer is an absolute must for any sensible person's CD collection, for any responsible person's iPod, and for any aspiring musician and composer who'd like some hints at what's possible at the upper end of the excellence spectrum. Buy this album if you have more than a few brain cells... it'll be the best thing you did in a very long time because it's quite possibly one of the best albums your likely to hear outside of a major label's A&R department!

Colin Lynch - October 29, 2006
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