Carter Robinson - Sing Myself to Sleep

Carter Robinson

Sing Myself to Sleep
self-released; 2015

3.4 out of 5

By Andew Westberry

Carter Robinson is not new to the music scene. After participating in multiple bands in Raleigh, North Carolina, and honing in on his songwriting skills during time at Brown University, he released Sing Myself to Sleep, a gentle, yet lively album that touches on a variety of genres, including folk, blues and rock.

The record opens with a dreamy guitar tune where Robinson’s raspy voice leads the way through haunting piano riffs and groovy strumming patterns. The next song “Time of Love” features a full band with piano at the forefront of the soundscape. The bluesy aura comes through strong in this optimistic tune, and transitions effortlessly into “Better Man”, a classic blues rock n’ roll anthem, and furthermore paints a contrast with “Realign” a smoother, simpler song with equal vitality present.

Halfway through the album, Robinson’s skill with a guitar and his voice is highlighted in “Conversations” a heavily acoustic song that borders between John Mayer and Noah Gunderson. The intro to the next song “Dream Garden” is the most catchy section on the entire record, and it leads into a relaxed instrumental song that provides a nice break in the lyrical songs.

Robinson plunges right back into his usual style with “Hideout” the best song on the album - a beautiful ballad sung in Spanish and English and gradually developing through harp, guitar, clapping and piano tones. “Frozen Over” is the most pop-like song on the album, but Robinson does a great job of infusing his own style into the song. The album ends strongly with “Forgive Me Still” a droning reflective piece, and “Sleepwalk” a skillful cover of Santo & Johnny’s instrumental classic.

In this album, Carter Robinson has demonstrated an extreme aptitude for creating rich music with thought-provoking lyrics and talented instrumentation. While his style is a bit dispersed over the musical map, it is evident that he is early on his journey into music making, and the future will only offer Robinson with more opportunities to sharpen his craft and advance in his art.

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