Well, after listening to Tim Robbins and the Rogues Gallery Band’s self-titled debut I know
one thing the Hollywood actor and I have in common; we both like Bruce Springsteen. Tim likes him even
more than I do.  He likes him a
lot. The album is a solid nod to Nebraska
and relies heavily on folk and Americana influences, but as an actor who
moonlights as a singer (or vice versa) he falls in the Bruce Willis category rather than the Kris Kristoffersen one.

 

If at times the music on the album is rather good, the main
issue here is Robbins’ voice. It’s weak and forced and in combination with
below par lyrics it becomes a real task actually listening to the whole album
in one go. 

Songs like "Book of
Josie" are supposed to carry a message but instead sound a bit pretentious
and "Crush On You" could have done with
some proper lyrics. In all honesty, if Tim Robbins wasn’t an Oscar winner and
big Hollywood name I doubt the nine tracks on the album would have been released
by any record company.

 

The real question is whether Tim Robbins could actually make
an album that doesn’t sound like a pub band trying to cover Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits and the Pogues. On the evidence of this effort I would have to say
no.  But as long as he keeps his
backing band and goes back to the drawing board he might have a tiny chance.

 

4/10