"I don't sing about the old cotton fields I've never seen. I sing, for example, about the increasing bigotry and hypocrisy these days. Also about very personal things that come across like a photo album of life," says Munich singer/songwriter Robert Richter about his new CD "I On You." It consists entirely of original compositions and is rooted in blues and folk. Here, a 21st-century minstrel tells his stories. It's not about the "high art of campfire music," dominated by hyped virtuosity and studio tricks, but about true storytelling!
The blues, of course, isn't interpreted in a pure way here, but rather blended with other styles like folk and country—and, above all, references the issues of the time. Robert Richter has been lead guitarist and singer in numerous bands. He has explored every shade of blues, from country blues to blues rock, including neighboring styles from folk to funk.
He's now where he always wanted to be, without even realizing it: writing songs and telling stories. Partly political, partly autobiographical, and always deeply personal. Many questions, no hasty answers. But clever statements from the observer's perspective. His beloved guitar isn't used for self-expression; rather, it—along with the harmonica—carries the singer through his songs.
Some of the songs are like short stories, some are like snapshots, some capture a momentary mood. Robert Richter is a songster. Songster is a term for American songwriters that originated long before the term "songwriter" was a fixed musical term.
01 The Singing Men
02 Soldierboy
03 Wanderlust
04 To And Fro
05 Like A Fugitive
06 If I Was Jesus
07 In My Mind
08 The Same Old Story
09 Out On The Battlefield
10 Lonesome By Your Side
11 Waves About Waves
