Daily Variety
April 6, 1995
Robyn Hitchcock
The Bottom Line, New York; 250 seats; $ 17.50
Presented In-House
Band: Hitchcock, Deni Bonet
Reviewed March 30, 1995
by Susan Shields
Robyn Hitchcock's lyrics are his greatest attraction. He is a storyteller -- a seer of life's odd contradictions and parallels -- whose approach is to inundate with images and let the message sift itself out. His solo performance -- on the heels of Rhino Records reissuing nine of his CDs, most recorded with The Egyptians -- was as appealing and eccentric as his music.
Casually clad and physically at-ease (except for his fluttering eyelids), Hitchcock sailed through a wacky tour de force of his career in just over an hour -- producing a lineup of marvelous playthings and unique meditations.
His lyrics, though, often are heartbreaking in their simplicity: "The next time I get into you/I swear to god I won't come out"; "I something you/You whatnot me"; and "What am I going to do with myself if I lose you?". Here is a master of bare declarations of love.
Although he often strained for the higher notes, Hitchcock sang very clearly and didn't let his accomplished guitar -- or occasional violin by opener Deni Bonet -- get in the way of the lyrics. And in following his stream-of-consciousness construction and fantastical topics, one can't afford to miss a word.
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