Sinematic ［2LP+CD］＜限定盤＞

The titular pun of Sinematic cuts both ways. Robbie Robertson drew inspiration from his work for the silver screen -- in particular, Martin Scorseses The Irishman, which resulted in the Van Morrison duet I Hear You Paint Houses, whose title is pulled from the title of the Frank Sheeran memoir that serves as the basis for the Scorsese film -- but Sinematic also feels distinctly like a collection of aural short films. Throughout the album, Robertson relies on atmosphere, a vibe he builds with swathes of synthesizers, half-spoken, half-sung vocals, in the pocket rhythms, and plenty of tasty licks. Such studio precision has been a hallmark of Robertsons solo work, but Sinematic largely dispenses with darkness, at least sonically speaking. His songs are littered with unsettling undercurrents -- its little wonder he chose to write a song about the old pulp serial The Shadow -- but Sinematic doesnt feel disturbing: its mood music for a late night that threatens to succumb to seduction but is too pleased with the moment to put anything at risk. Although Robertsons delivery often veers toward the hammy -- he relishes the B-movie gangsters on Shanghai Blues and hisses out “hardwired for sex” as if was a snake lying in the grass -- there are pleasures to be had in this upscale affair. The clean funk and gleaming blues are performed with the expert panache of old pros who enjoy adding grace notes to shopworn chord changes, and that can be almost enough to compensate Robertson singing like hes an actor trying on roles. It isnt quite enough to excuse how Sinematic sounds like it was dredged up from the second half of the 80s -- the showcase I Heard You Paint Houses could be swapped for Its in the Way That You Use It in The Color of Money and nobody would be the wiser -- but thats also its charm: Robertson doesnt realize hes stuck in his ways, making music the old-fashioned way. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

スコセッシ監督作「アイリッシュマン」やロビー自身の自伝をもとにしたドキュメンタリー映画に触発された曲が並ぶ8年ぶりの新作。ダークでミステリアスな描写のノワールな世界が展開されるが、エレクトロニクスを散りばめた緊張感のあるサウンドが劇的な演出効果を上げ、不穏な空気を撒き散らす歌声の威力も相まって終始耳が離せない。ヴァン・モリソンとのデュエット"I Hear You Paint Houses"がベスト・トラック。
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