Robyn Hitchcock

Only Robyn Hitchcock, with his quaint whimsical English voice can get away with singing a chorus of "Bing-a-bong-a-bing-bong-bing-bong." It’s this opener tagged "Television" on his latest solo release Spooked in which Hithcock sermons his love hate relationship with the boob tube. As the leader of alt-rock pioneers The Soft Boys and later the Egyptians, Hitchcock has always had the heart of a singer-songwriter, but mixed with his obscure sensibilities, certainly caused his work to be a love it or leave it cult favorite.

Along for the ride on the all acoustic Spooked and garnishing Hitchcock’s fok inklings are the indie/alt-country tandem of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Welch contributes acoustic guitar, bass and drums, while her musical partner Rawlings takes care of dobro and wurlitzer. Hitchcock himself even ads sitar on the "Everybody Needs Love," punching the album up with an exotic flair.

Remarkably, Hitchcock still sounds like himself and isn’t steered too far into alt-country territory or serious folk waters. Although each song is a Dylan musical reflection, which is the source of what brought the three musicians together, it’s nice to see the distinctive voices blend their talents into a team effort. "English Girl" and "Sometimes A Blonde" are particularly birthed upon their favorite singer-songwriter, as they go so far to cover Dylan’s "Trying To Get To Heaven. "

It’s not clear exactly what voice Hitchcock is pushing on Spooked, but these mixed signals spark an open door for new listeners. With goofy songs like "We’re Gonna Live In The Trees" and the eerie "Creeped Out," mixed with the folky tinkling of Rawlings and Welch, there’s enough musical diversity to not scare anybody away with Hitchcock’s outlandish behavior. Longtime fans might cry foul play on Spooked, while others might just dig this team as quite the triplet. Either way, its nice to see this humorous artist wed his work with delicate musicianship and have it sound very coming of age.