Robert Ellis takes "Yesterday's News" to Europe in October

Robert Ellis proves he’s today’s news on moody, vulnerable album ‘Yesterday’s News’

In the title track to his new album, “Yesterday’s News,” singer-songwriter Robert Ellis suggests in thinly-veiled terms that he’s washed up. But the album proves he’s anything but. The nine songs on the album are set against a subdued background of acoustic finger-picking on nylon strings, backed by an upright bass and light percussion. The playing often sounds more like classical guitarist Andres Segovia than anything country or Americana, and Ellis leans into it for long instrumental stretches.

Several songs hint at pandemic themes, and while it’s true that most art forms have ventured past the point of offering anything fresh or insightful about the months we all spent in isolation, Ellis is better suited than most to commemorate the mood. The frailty of his voice and the nakedness of his guitar bleed a kind of vulnerability that fits the moment. Some of the lyrics suggest that Ellis feels that he is at the end of the road, but this is at odds with his optimistic side and he will surely produce lots more of this sort of authentic music in the future.

Yesterday’s News is an album that basks in quiet contemplation. It’s a reminder that if indeed the past is behind us, it can still haunt us with matters that are yet to be resolved. There’s subtlety in simplicity, and Ellis, being the skilled singer/songwriter he is, knows how to utilize those qualities both effectively and assuredly. Yesterday’s News is a mesmerizing offering and, one might say, even revelatory as a result.

In October Robert Ellis takes Yesterday's News to Europe:

05/10: Groningen, NL - Lutherse Kerk*
06/10: Hengelo, NL - Metropool*
07/10: Langenberg, DE - Whatever Happens im Club
08/10: Antwerp, BE - Trix*
09/10: Eindhoven, NL - Americana Mondays*
10/10: Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg*
12/10: Stockholm, SWE - Klub Nalen*
13/10: Drammen, NO - Kulturhus*
14/10: Trondheim, NO - Moskus*
15/10: Oslo, NO - Belleville*
17/10: Gothenburg, SWE - Pustervik*
* with Belaver