Reviews

BOB WARREN, CLEAR CONNECTION

One listen to this CD and it is obvious the Bob Warren enjoys making music. It's also very clear that he is not the least bit intimidated by the recording process. Clear Connection is a real-life photograph of a singer/songwriter just doing his thing. His straight foward, genuine style mixes well with a variety of arrangements. On this CD, you'll find electric and acoustic music that runs from folk to jazz. This reviewer's favorite cuts included " Dark Road," "Oh Darlin'" and "Today" which features some excellent mandolin work. If you like ballads, give an ear to "What A Day It Is," and for something on the funky side, it's "Road To Paradise". On every track, Warren's love of singing and connecting with his fine group of instrumentalists comes through crystal clear. If you like CDs with a surprise on every track, here you go.

Singer Magazine

BOB WARREN, CLEAR CONNECTION

Bob Warren wrote "Me And My Guitar," an amazing song that captures the singer/songwriter experience in a relatable and poignant fashion. He's paid his dues with a digitally mastered cassette, Live At Caffe' Lena , and later with the promising CD Love Walked In, but Clear Connection is the release that every persevering performer hopes for. It has variety, wit, killer hooks, and a supporting cast (Trey Anastasio, Hal Ketchum, Leslie Ritter, and more) to die for. The opening title cut is irresistible rock, and there's gentle introspection on "What A Day It Is." Today is a bright, 60s-influenced romp, complete with shimmering mandolin that is atmospherically at odds with its topic of the instant change that can happen in anyone's life. Warren's voice has the subtle sweetness of James Taylor and the quirky rasp of Randy Newman- an odd melding, yet quite appealing. A highlight is the slow, simmering blues of "In My Next Life," where Warren ponders doing things perfectly in another time- "I'll make all the right choices about important things/Like politicians, electricians, plumbers, lawyers and wedding rings...." Yet in this life, Bob Warren is musically right on the mark.

Ellen Geisel, Dirty Linen

Warren Set To Bring Songwriting Skills Back To Caffe' Lena...

"Singer/songwriter Bob Warren is as regular a Caffe'Lena performer as you can get, introducing each new album in the venerable Saratoga Springs coffeehouse.

He is back Saturday for two shows with some of the musicians, all friends and fans, who help make his new album "Clear Connection" his best ever.

Bassist Tony Markellis, hot off another Trey Anastasio tour, co-stars on the album and Saturday's shows. He co-produced the album with Warren, bringing in Anastasio's sweet unobtrusive guitar and singer Rosanne Raneri, whose albums Markellis also produces, among many others. He also applies his own muscular, perfectly placed bass rumbles and thumps to each song.

Fans have come to expect sensitive, strong, personal and powerful songwriting from Warren, one of the area's most consistent and durable creative forces. This time, the arrangements and performances fit the material absolutely to perfection. Buoyed by such beautiful accompaniment,Warren responds with confident, wonderfully nuanced singing."

Michael Hochanadel, The Daily Gazette

Bob Warren makes "Clear Connection"

"Seemingly every ear that has caught Bob Warren's song "The Silver Fox", yearns for another listen. That particular tune, written about the songwriter's father, plus a dozen other songs can be heard on Warren's brand new CD, 'Clear Connection'

The veteran songwriter's muse is a field filled with cross-country rambles and shadowy psychological escapades.

Warren's tight, emotionally poetic ballads stir and inspire, like the creative morsels they are, sifted from the hallowed ground of Woody's dustbowls and blown north and delivered to your doorstep.

With a baker's dozen of cherished tunes and a growly wit to match, Warren seems to raise the creative bar higher with each new release.

"Clear Connection" delivers with an all-star cast, to boot. Guest performers include Trey Anastasio(PHISH), Richard Bell(THE BAND), and local musical geniuses Michael Jerling, Tony Markellis, Tim Wechgelaer and Rosanne Raneri.

The photographs of image-catcher Emma Dodge Hanson grace the cover, and David Greenberger, of Duplex Planet fame, pitches in with book design duties."

Thomas Dimopoulos, The Saratogian

"A keen eye for detail...evocative"

...."Several songs, ( on "Clear Connection" ) look back on specific intances in his(Warren's) life. "The Silver Fox", Warren's breezy, poignant tale (about his father), eloquently captures the essence of a man still infatuated by the simple joys of life, even a fad as transient as "C.B.'s" were during the "disco" decade.

Mike Curtin, The Post Star, Glens Falls, NY

"You aren't likely to find songwriting more pure and heartfelt than Bob Warren's"

Michael Korb, The Saratogian

"The best and most dignified folk album (Love Walked In) of the year

City Newspaper, Rochester, NY

"Low-key and altogether genuine . . . The music is sweetly sentimental, gently autobiographical and periodically humorous"

Mark Frost, The Chronicle

"Intriguing characters . . . Neat wordplay . . . And some lump in your throat love songs"

Mae Banner, The Saratogian

"Simmering energy, driving rhythms . . . A voice with a touch of that high lonesome feel"

Ellen Geisel, Art Times Magazine

"Warren's music is a reflection of life's events and some whimsical insights set to song. The effect is simply uplifting !"

Spencertown Academy

"Seemingly effortlessly, Bob Warren marries lyric to melody, creating the sweetest stories. I love this man's music!"

Camille West

"Bob writes and performs from a true artist's viewpoint . . . personal experience . . . There's nothing more golden than that."

Hal Ketchum