Robert Ellis’ music is a deftly crafted blend of folk, country, and Americana, marked by intricate guitar playing and deeply reflective lyrics. His new project, Yesterday’s News, is as stripped-down as it gets, with the celebrated songwriter and producer’s delicate, reedy tenor accompanied only by nylon string guitar, upright bass, and the occasional piece of handheld percussion. The arrangements are harmonically sophisticated, drawing on the open tunings and intricate fingerpicking of English songwriters like Nick Drake or Richard Thompson. His work is an invitation to explore the nuances of life, love, and self through a musical lens that is both introspective and refreshingly honest.
NPR has hailed his “musical daring and impeccable songcraft,” while Rolling Stone praised his “sharp eye for storytelling,” and The New York Times lauded his writing as an emotional “gut punch.”
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