Today marks the 20th anniversary of Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson’s first solo album, Paper. It was released on August 24, 2004. This was an important album for Rich because at the time, The Black Crowes were on their first hiatus. It could be argued that he was constantly in the shadow of his older brother, Chris. Therefore, when the band decided to go on hiatus in 2002, it was time for Rich to break free and do his own thing. Shortly afterwards, he put together a band called Hookah Brown, but it fell apart less than a year later. Not wanting to sit around and do nothing, Rich decided to make his first solo album.
Containing songs that were written for The Black Crowes and Hookah Brown, Paper was his way of saying, “I can make a record without my brother and it’s going to be great!” Rich produced the record himself, sang lead vocals, played guitar, bass guitar, percussion, and keyboards for it. Special guests include Joe Magistro on drums / percussion, Eddie Harsch on keyboards, and his son, Taylor Robinson, on percussion. If that’s not enough, Donnie Herron plays fiddle and pedal steel on “Forgiven Song;” and guest musicians for “Answers” include Antoine Silverman and Jonathan Dinklage on violin, Joan Wasser on viola, and Anja Wood Silverman on cello.
Paper was released through Keyhole Records in 2004 and later through Eagle Rock Entertainment for the 2016 re-release. By the way, Rich painted the album cover, so talk about a man that never sleeps! Funnily enough, he has a song called “Sleepwalker” on his 2016 solo album, Flux.
As mentioned before, there are two versions of Paper: the 2004 version and the 2016 version. The reason being Rich signed a new recording contract with Eagle Rock Entertainment in 2015 and as part of their deal, the label agreed to re-release all of his previous albums, including Paper. According to Billboard, the original master tapes with the vocal tracks were damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and as a result, Rich had to re-record the vocals for the album. According to Classic Rock Magazine, he reworked some of the lyrics, altered the tracklist, and added three unreleased songs to the 2016 version. Those tracks were “Stand Up,” “Walking By Myself,” and “Words of the Chosen;” the latter being an instrumental, despite originally having lyrics when Rich performed it in 2004. By the way, I’m very curious to hear what “Words of the Chosen” sounds like with vocals.
Both the 2004 and 2016 versions sound completely different from one another. For one, the production is brighter and more polished (not in a bad way) on the 2016 version. The different tracklist order also messes with your brain and in my opinion, “Yesterday I Saw You” is a way better opener than “Know Me.” While some tracks received minor changes, “Oh No” had its verses and melody reworked completely, resulting in it being retitled “Cause You’re With Me.” “It’s Over” was changed back to its original pre-Paper title, “Goodbye,” while the lyrics and melody remained the same as the 2004 version.
In my ranking of Rich’s solo albums, I noted there’s a rawness to the original 2004 album that gave it an organic and real sound. Heck, on that version, “When You Will” and “Places” sound like demos because the mix is not the greatest. Another interesting difference I noticed is that Herron’s fiddle and pedal steel parts for “Forgiven Song” are more enhanced on the 2016 version, which perfectly add to the atmospheric and melancholy feel to it.
Speaking of “Forgiven Song,” there’s a reason why Rich played it so much throughout his solo career. It’s a masterpiece with haunting melodies and thought-provoking lyrics. “Leave It Alone” is also amazing with beautiful melodies, powerful instrumentation, and luscious harmonies. “Enemy” and “Yesterday I Saw You” are absolute bangers with tasteful guitar parts. Even the ballads like “Answers,” “Baby” (not the Justin Bieber song), and “When You Will” are nicely done. The latter sounds way better on the 2016 version. “Stand Up,” a previously unreleased track, has a killer groove and Rich’s vocals sound amazing.
When Rich recorded the 2004 version of Paper, he didn’t know much about singing lead vocals; he just did what worked for him back then. When it was time to re-record the vocals for the 2016 version, however, he had more knowledge about his voice and how to improve upon it, resulting in his vocals sounding much more confident on that version. Rich’s low singing voice is an acquired taste, unlike Chris’ commercially appealing, Rod Stewart meets Mick Jagger type of singing voice. While not all of the songs have perfect vocals, Rich’s voice is very innocent and pure, which I find fascinating.
As for the musicianship, very solid stuff. Out of all of Rich’s solo albums, Paper is the one that sounds the most like a Black Crowes record; good old rock ‘n’ roll with southern swagger. On both versions of the album, the guitars are the driving force. There’s lots of heavy distortion and a ton of swagger in Rich’s guitar playing, adding to the ballsy straight forward rock ‘n’ roll vibe of the album. Also, the drum parts sound fantastic; tons of groove and very raw. Enough has been said about the fiddle and pedal steel parts on “Forgiven Song,” but “Answers” is absolutely gorgeous with the cello, violins, and viola. Like a symphony, if you will!
Going back to what I said at the beginning of this post, Paper was an important album for Rich because it gave him the confidence to pursue a solo career and break away from his brother’s shadow. That record helped Rich become a better singer and a better artist overall. 20 years later, it’s still an underrated classic. Paper marked the direction Rich was heading in musically and stylistically speaking, at the time. As his confidence grew and he gained more experience, he started to incorporate different styles such as blues, folk, and Americana on later solo albums. For those that ignored Paper all those years ago (including the 2016 version), give it a listen! Check out the guy who basically laid the foundation for The Black Crowes!
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Lana
Lana Teramae | Me, Myself and Time 
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