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Natural Born Actor – ‘Andrew Robertson Is…’ Review

Natural Born Actor - 'Andrew Robertson Is…' Review

Yes, quite famously, Oscar Wilde suggested that a man wearing a mask is the only one capable of telling the truth. Less famously, he went on to say that “a mask tells us more than a face.” In a music world obsessed with great heroes and villains, why would performers insist on simply being themselves? Why would they only want to describe reality in its most plain terms? 

Natural Born Actor’s music lives at the intersection of the absolute and the variable, the truth and myth. You can’t escape forever. But you can try and enhance your story and your qualities and give your real self a really good run around. That’s what, in many ways, what “Andrew Robertson Is…” aims to do – create lore about oneself as if describing a Greek parable. 

Is Natural Born Actor pretentious? Will he invite you to have drinks only to order the finest scotch and skip on the bill? All of those things are rumours of course, but the man does have a sense of humour, and this is hard built into the music. 

The album opens with a number about another mythological being of the near past and of the endless future. “Steve Jobs Song.” Danceable, accompanied by smooth sax lines and featuring confident vocals that, yes, describe Jobs’ ascent, this is a hooky, competently performed song. It lets you know that, if anything, listening to this album won’t be a chore but rather an attendance to a bizarre masquerade party.

A good chunk of the album and many of the silky dance grooves seem inspired by David Bowie’s arena conquering 80s-period. “Fearless” is built around a guitar part vamping on a funk riff. “Black Dragon” features hypnotic rhythms and lyrics about finding love in all the wrong places. And the letter of intent, “Natural Born Actor,” sounds like soul music made for dark clubs populated by goth-rockers. 

Throughout, the singing is confident, entertaining, and just a little bit sinister. If we’re not supposed to know whether we’ve been invited by the hero or the villain, halfway through the album, the strategy’s working. 

Indeed, like any play meant to keep butts on seats and the eyes and ears on the performers, “Andrew Robertson Is…” shoots for dynamics. The melancholy-tinged “Run Forever” is worked around an acoustic guitar arpeggio. The slow tempo of “Decadent Heart” ends up sounding almost regretful. And “Perfect Guy” is the unexpected confession of human frailty backed by gentle chords. 

Where are we now? Who is Andrew Robertson? We’re surely not talking about the Liverpool full-back who has been drifting through a disappointing season. There’s no way of telling. Natural Born Actor is just what he advertises – a man built from stories and confessions of the ones he’s briefly encountered. 

The album closer, “Black Water”, is one final excuse for the performer to announce that he’s been haunted by temptations everywhere he’s looked and that, ultimately, the goal is to maintain freedom of one’s heart. Who is Andrew Robertson? Whomever you most need it to be. 

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About author

Eduard Banulescu is a writer, blogger, and musician. As a content writer, Eduard has contributed to numerous websites and publications, including FootballCoin, Play2Earn, BeIN Crypto, Business2Community, NapoliSerieA, Extra Time Talk, Nitrogen Sports, Bavarian FootballWorks, etc. He has written a book about Nirvana, hosts a music podcasts, and writes weekly content about some of the best, new and old, alternative musicians. Eduard also runs and acts as editor-in-chief of the alternative rock music website www.alt77.com. Mr. Banulescu is also a musician, having played and recorded in various bands and as a solo artist.
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