Storyboard Album Review by Anthony Scully - 1233 ABC Radio

It's not difficult to immerse yourself in Bob Corbett's 'Storyboard' album.

I fell in love with it one morning on a drive from Newcastle to Muswellbrook, and was hooked by the time I got to East Maitland.

Singer songwriter Bob Corbett has crafted an acoustic pop album that spans styles as diverse as bittersweet ballads (One Wing,)skat vocals over African rhythms (One Song), a joyful skiffle (Pieces of Me) and bluegrass banjo soaked with simple harmonies (Devil's Tenders) and that's only the first four tracks.

As I drove along the New England Highway through Mayfield, Sandgate and Hexham, I heard flashes of Stevie Plunder-era Whitlams circa 1994 and some songs (The Bush Band From Botany Bay) that could hold their own on any Paul Kelly-penned album - those guys are best known for their knack of combining poignant lyrics with a serious sense of fun, and that's what you get here from Bob.

One Wing could be a meditation on the nature of resolve. Lines that stick are "it wasn't hard at all I just had to see / to stop feeling low I just had to stop thinking about me" and "I've come back to the start / pressed reset on my damaged heart" that leave you in a contemplative mood.

Then, with Ex-Friends On The Road, the CD breaks out from acoustic mode, opening up into organs swirling, tambourine doubles, tight do-wop backing vocals and an uplifting feel.

At 2 minutes and 52 seconds it is the most perfectly timed piece of pop confection, with not an ounce of fat. And funny? Try lines like "I wanna cut but, you got the water / I know you wanna hit me, and you think you oughta but you know / I've got the car keys."

Bob Corbett scooped the pool at this year's ABC Newcastle Music Awards for Blues and Roots Just Leave Me"; Folk for The Lambton Lights and its beautiful descending chord progression; and Pop and broadcaster's choice award for The Prettiest Face. For mine Just Leave Me was a standout for its dirgy feel, blues slide guitar, a menacing tone, and overdriven vocals.

Bob's lyrics are seasoned with years of life experience and it shows, and his reputation as a working musician in any number of Hunter bands over the years shows in his masterful, natural and effortless transition between genres; from the funny playful Monkey with its jazzy chorus and swinging beats, using brushes and snares and cymbals, to the full blown rock and reggae in I'm Breaking Up with more organ and some very tasty drums fills, he handles it all.

Bob also won this year's 1233 ABC Newcastle tour support prize, which means he'll be on the road with one very hot band soon at a venue near you. Don't miss him.

5 STARS

Anthony Scully
1233 ABC Radio - 18 December 2008
http://www.abc.net.au/local/reviews/2008/12/18/2449882.htm