Jimmy Ryan
Truth Squad
February 2008

"The impact of musical influences on an artist can have consequences (some of them unintended), and these consequences generally manifest themselves in one of two ways: (1) the artist immerses himself so completely in the influence that he loses his personal identity in the process, becoming a non-descript clone, or (2) the artist channels the influence through his personal identity, creating a new alloy which contains both the influence and the personal style of the channeler [it should be said that the more stylized the influence, the more likely you are to end up with (1) above]. Robin Overall is a pretty courageous cat - he's channeled one of the MOST stylized influences possible, Mr. Eric Johnson. That said, the songs, arrangements, vocal prowess, crafted tones and technical skill on exhibition here are a crystal clear indication that Robin's musical vision falls into (2) above...and not only does he NOT fall short of the challenge, he creates his own musical "island universe," indelibly stamped throughout with his own signature style and individuality. That's a tall order, and Robin delivers the goods. " Shadowlands " is musical proof that a stylized influence need not be an identity "body snatcher." Robin succeeds (where most others don't) in stepping out of the shadow of his influence and creating a space all his own...and that's more than I can say for most of his contemporaries. Listen...and learn ."