Audio

To listen, click on the player to the right of the track. For an idea of the solo acoustic sound, scroll down to that collection. As a general guide, the new CD "Fingers in my pocket" is a blues and roots based album, "Africana" is more acoustic and has country and African influences, "Over the mountain" is a 3 piece electric African blues record, and "Diamond of a day" is a singer/songwriter album, more complex with counterpoint and harmony from horns, keyboards and so on.

2011 -- Fingers in my pocket



Produced by Simon Horn and Robin Auld in Chiswick London. Drums: Barry van Zyl. Guitars, harmonica and vocals, Robin Auld. Bass: Simon Horn.

An eclectic mix of blues, roots and funky country songs, the new album features the talents of long time collaborator and world beat drummer Barry van Zyl and Aussie producer/bass player Simon Horn. The recent world wide recession and the irony of banking credit checks form the basis of the title track, and the whole album carries a dustbowl humour regarding the loss of both love and money. But while the lyrical themes are certainly blues-based, the African influences are never far away. A varied and musically adventurous collection of songs, described by Robin as "yer basic got them walkin', credit card, institutional failure, mean women and a sore head blues again" type of album!

Robin Auld

2011 -- Solo acoustic audio



This album is just an online collection of home recordings to give an idea of the solo acoustic vibe. I use a stompboard and a loop pedal to enable slide solos etc. I've put a couple of interpretations of some old songs up for interest...Corrina is usually accredited to Trad Arr, but the version I'm most familiar with is Taj Mahal's version...this is my one. The Willie Dixon song My Babe is pretty well known, having been a No 1 for Little Walter in 1955.

Robin Auld

2010 -- Africana



Guitars, vocals & harmonica: Robin Auld
Additional guitar: Louis Mhlanga.
Drums: Peter Cohen, Andy Green.
Bass: Nelson Barbosa, Derek Baxter, Yoyo Buys, Keith Lentin.
Organ: Simon 'Agent' Orange, Keith Lentin.
Backing vocals: Nikki Lee, Nelson Barbosa, Keith Lentin, Joy of Africa choir.

On "Africana", Robin Auld's latest UK release, the Zambian born guitarist and singer mixes the dustbowl blues sounds of slide guitar and harmonica with the guitar styles of Southern Africa. The influences of Americana artists like Ry Cooder mingle happily with the various guitar styles of his homeland, where Auld was influenced by the likes of Philip Tabane and Louis Mhlanga who plays on several of the tracks.

The album is a real globetrotting production, featuring some of the best South African musicians at home and abroad. "Grief of ages", a bluegrass ballad, was written in Nashville and recorded in New York, the township blues "Charly go crazy" was recorded in Cape Town, and the zulu trance of "Over the Mountain" was written in New York and recorded in London.

This migratory nature of the recordings mirrors Auld's musical journey and delivers a sound that is both familiar yet fresh, with mbaganqa and Zulu guitar riffs sparkling amongst more familiar country blues territory.

Out on Free Lunch, Auld's own label now on its fourth release, "Africana" is now available for download on iTunes, and is available from the site.

All songs written by Robin Auld except Rikki Tikki Tavi by Donovan Leitch, CBS. 1970

Free Lunch Productions -- Produced by Robin Auld

2009 -- Diamond of a Day



Guitars & vocals: Robin Auld
Drums: Peter Cohen / Anton Fig
Bass: Nelson Barbosa / Keith Lentin

The new album, "Diamond of a Day", absorbs the influences of his previous acoustic soul recordings into the big and bold strokes of an immediate pop record. The various influences on Auld's work, from the established canon of the singer/songwriter to the Southern African, blues and Celtic guitar styles that continue to inspire him, are represented throughout the 13 melody driven tracks all underpinned by his distinctive vocal and guitar phrasings.

It features his Cape Town rhythm section of Peter Cohen (drums) and Nelson Barbosa(bass) on the tracks laid down at Dave Birch's studio in the tropical heat of Durban, and also several tracks recorded in New York featuring Manhattan based SA drum and bass legends Anton Fig and Keith Lentin.

The various songwriting styles of pop, blues, country and African have merged into a mix of roots and pop influences where mbqanga rhythms pulse under Celtic melodies, high life guitar lines mix with country, blues groove tunes and straight ahead pop songs display Auld's love of counterpoint and harmony. ..all while keeping his casual one-take production philosophy.

2008 -- Over the Mountain



Drums: Barry van Zyl / Anton Fig
Bass: Schalk Joubert / Nelson Barbosa

"Over the Mountain" is a return to the rock trio format that delivered "Zen surfing in the 3rd World". Simple and unadorned, the album was recorded live at Street Level Studios by Chris Tait, mixed by Richard Black and mastered by Tully McCully. The guide vocals, sung on a SM 58 while the rhythm went down, were kept on many songs and in some instances the solos went down live as well.

The material is a mix of old and new, featuring the trio arrangements established by Barry van Zyl on drums and Schalk Joubert on bass, at a variety of gigs throughout SA in the last year. Bluesy, soulful and keeping the Celtic and African influences that inspire Robin's music. Also on the album are three songs featuring SA super drummer Anton Fig, who was out from New York, and Nelson Barbosa. Old songs are revisited in the shape of "Sesheke Town" and a reggae version of "Baby you been good", and more recent material such as "Perfect Day" and "Something that I know" gets the 3-piece treatment. New tracks include "Supermodel", already shaping up to be a single, as is the version of Rikki Tikki Tavi, the Donovan song that's become a live staple.

Free Lunch Productions -- Produced by Robin Auld

2006 -- Jungle of One



Guitars & vocals: Robin Auld
Guest guitar: Albert Frost
String arrangements: Chris Letcher
Drums: Andy Green / Derek Baxter
Bass: Yoyo Buys

Recorded in London in late 2005, "Jungle of one" features Andy Green and Yoyo Buys on drums and bass, with string arrangements by Chris Letcher, further bass by Brit Derek Baxter and a guest appearance by guitarist Albert Frost. An eclectic bunch of styles and genres, the album has songs ranging from garage rock to R&B to orchestral pop.

"Something that I know", an R&B/soul track, features the guitarwork of Albert Frost who recorded it while in London. The theme of the song is the natural wisdom people have, whether assessing their personal lives or something in the media. Long time live favourite "The ballad of Andre Stander" finally makes it onto an album, and another fugitives' story is told in "The ballad of lucky Lucan", the English aristocrat who bludgeoned his nanny to death. He had intended to murder his wife, and fled after the crime to never be seen again. Allegededly hidden in the far flung corners of the world by his blue blood friends, the song refers to a sighting of him on an estate on the banks of the Limpopo river.

"Over the mountain" is about souls knowing each other outside of this world, and "Fortune Teller" tells of the futility of trying to read the future. They are both one chord African blues songs that owe their influence to the guitarists of Southern Africa such as Madala Kunene and Philip Tabane.

"Once the idea of an open house was there", explains Auld, "it was interesting to see if the most simple of musical structures could sit next to sophisticated pop, and the result seems to be a comfortable mix." The orchestral pop arrangements of "Tears at the harbour" and "The Ballad of lucky Lucan" were written by Chris Letcher, who also played keyboards on the title track, "Jungle of one".

"Tears at the harbour" tells the story of a fisherman who has his wife stolen from him by a friend, and after the friend drowns at sea realizes that all he has to do is wait to win the widow back.

The title track, "Jungle of one", relates to isolation both personal and geographical, as does "Martha's gone away", a basic live one- take rock track that owes its melody to the English music hall traditions of writers like Lionel Bart.

"Just one kiss" (and I was gone)", is a basic countryrock love song that needs no explaining, and "Grief of ages", a bluegrass ballad written by Auld in Nashville and recorded in New York, tells the tale of a man who struggles to escape the traits he inherited from his father.

With country, sophisticated pop, simple rock and the various African influences that make up the album, "Jungle of one" is hard to file under any particular genre. "On this album", explains Auld, "I threw out the idea of having a genre niche for the whole album. As a songwriter I've always loved the Beatles idea that any genre can be used as the framework for a song. I made a few attempts to try and pull "Jungle" into some kind of form, but the songs all had their own ideas!"

Free Lunch Productions -- Produced by Robin Auld