Cadillac and Trailer

Longtime Fallbrook songwriting legend Larry Robinson's newest release, Cadillac and Trailer, magically appeared on my doorstop last week. First thing I noticed was the nifty cover art by my pal Brett Stokes. I finally opened the thing last night and gave it a listen on the way home from work. I think that it is his best work yet.

Cadillac and Trailer is by my rough count, Larry's eighth album, if I can use the archaic term album in this digital age. It is a collection of mostly road songs, all written by Larry except for one song by San Diego's Gregory Page, Dusty Road.

Larry certainly has put on the mileage to play these songs with authority and conviction. Larry started playing in the sixties in the L.A. band Things to Come with Russ Kunkel , a band that made a splash but never quite hit the big time. He has played in every two bit bar and saloon around and had a huge following at Fallbrook's Packing House for many years until it got sold and the new owners went trendy and decided to jettison the regular performers and clientele. Larry and the late Jarry Presko were a duo on the order of Martin and Lewis and we all miss their artistic collaboration.

Larry is a fine player with an authentic, dusky, baritone voice and lifelong commitment to music. I haven't talked to him about this disc, but I will make a wild guess that much of the material is autobiographical. Daddy's a Dreamer, the last cut, is one of the finest, great fingerstyle and a warning shot across the bow to any families that possess a dreamer who is called to perform and follow his or her muse.

Another cut that caught me was Black Cowboy, a paean to the oft forgotten contribution of the negro cowboy in the old west, a cowboy that apparently roped, branded, whored and sang with the best of them, presumably with better rhythm. Another catchy song about a young temptress is Jezebel. A beautiful baby yes it's true, but no one knows it better than you...

The whole album is a gem, well written songs seen through Larry's unique and honest perspective and wry sense of humor. You sense the perspective gained from a lifetime of making music without the guarantee of much of a payback. He is ably backed by some really good musicians and vocalists. If I can find a link so that you can pick up a copy I will post it. Give it a listen.