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Robert Ellis (US)

Robert Ellis is set to return with his eponymous fourth album on June 3rd via New West Records. The 11-song, self-titled set is his most personal statement yet and a summation of his career thus far. Robert Ellis follows his critically acclaimed 2014 release, The Lights From The Chemical Plant, with NPR Music premiering the album track "Drivin'" today. They describe the album as "brilliant," and stated, "Musically varied, impeccably structured, Robert Ellis recalls the 'confessional' songwriters who set the bar in the 1970s, as well as recent Americana landmarks like Jason Isbell's Southeastern. There are traces of Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon on this cohesive work, and the laconic insight that James Taylor offers at his best. Robert Ellis is not always a light listen - the narrator bluntly claims his sins throughout - but the musical adventurousness that's in Ellis' blood makes it an irresistible one." The record was self-produced by Ellis at Sugar Hill Studios in his hometown of Houston, Texas with engineer Steve Christensen (Steve Earle) and mixed by John Agnello (Kurt Vile, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.)

Robert Ellis opens with “Perfect Strangers,” a meditation on what brings people together (and how tenuous that connection can be), and ends with “It’s Not OK,” a raw look at emotional compromise. Between those two powerful bookends are nine other songs that show Ellis’ full command of a vibrant set of songwriting skills - irony, distance, character, narrative, a thoughtful relationship between sound and sense. Included is the first single, the dynamic “How I Love You,” the pop pleasure of “California,” the bossa nova shuffle and melodic ‘70s soft rock of “Amanda Jane,” the emotional center of the record, “The High Road,” and the breathtaking and epic “You’re Not The One;” all presenting multiple sides of Ellis’ control and talent.

Ellis states, “I felt that in the past year, lots of constructs I took for granted were turned on their head.” He continues, “With this record, I feel like I’ve gotten to where I can use the material of my own life as a jumping-off point. But now I can do different things with that material.” Many of the songs have an element of melancholy as some of the record revolves around the dissolution of Ellis’ marriage (the pair remain friends) but also hope and happiness play an equal role. It’s an album of owning mistakes, self-discovery, and accepting hard truths. It’s also an album that finds Ellis reaching into the trick bags of masters like Paul Simon, John Prine, and Randy Newman, all artists that have been consistent risk takers, and employing the full complement of skills that he has learned from studying their songcraft. This respect for tradition and risk taking fuel Ellis’ new record and in the end, Robert Ellis, the album, is the most accurate reflection of Robert Ellis, the man. It’s analytical and emotional, calculated in spots and improvisational in others, restless, peaceful, never indifferent, never dispassionate.

The new album follows Ellis’ critically acclaimed 2014 release, The Lights From The Chemical Plant. Racking up multiple year-end accolades, NPR selected it as one of their “50 Favorite Albums of 2014,” calling him a “major sonic storyteller” and Rolling Stone called it “a fully realized masterpiece.” Esquire declared it one of the best of the year and Buzzfeed hailed him as one of “25 New Artists You Need In Your Life In 2015.”