The Rocket
August 11, 1999
Robyn Hitchcock
Jewels For Sophia
(Warner Bros. CD)
by Chris Nickson
He's getting quite prolific, isn't he? The amazing thing is, the more he puts out, the better he gets. Robyn Hitchcock has carved himself a niche, and he's filling it to capacity with truly original songs, from Pop to introspection. Jewels For Sophia is a major one for a number of reasons: some of his best songs in years, a reunion with former partner Kimberley Rew, and the fact that part of it was recorded in Seattle, with various Young Fresh Fellows and Peter Buck (who's worked with Hitchcock before), giving us the best song ever about Seattle: "Viva Sea-Tac" ("Viva Sea-Tac/They've got the best computers, coffee and smack"). While people seem to eat each other a lot on this record (and no, I'm going nowhere near that one), overall it's a celebration of love and some of life's more positive -- and bizarre -- things (like the live ode to Gene Hackman on the album's hidden track). Hitchcock has developed a unique lyrical way of looking at the world, twisting the mundane into a new, intoxicating shape. There's still a touch of Dylan (he did a concert recreating Dylan's Albert Hall appearance), particularly on "No, I Don't Remember Guildford" from Storefront Hitchcock (1998), and there are many things of sheer lustrous beauty. Oh, and there's lots of Rock 'n' Roll. The jewels may be for Sophia, but they're all from the mind and pen of someone who deserves by now to be called one of the greats. And, no, I didn't use the word eccentric once, did I?
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