BEYOND BORDERS

JOE ROBINSON IS a frighteningly fantastic acoustic and electric player who can leave you contemplating one of two things: quit while you’re behind, or join his quest onward toward ultimate guitar expression. Just turning 30, Robinson is already a seasoned vet of the Guitar Army with Robben Ford and Lee Roy Parnell, and he works regularly with Nashville royals Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris as well as his mentor and fellow Australian transplant, Tommy Emmanuel. The prodigiously talented guitarist made a huge splash with his 2009 American debut of acoustic instrumentals, Time Jumpin’, and earned Best New Talent in the 2010 GP Reader’s Poll before turning 20. A huge factor in how Robinson got so good so fast may be his waking up at 4 a.m. to ensure a productive practice session each day, and he confirms that’s still his routine. Such a dedicated cat isn’t about to let the pandemic or anything else slow his creative roll.

Now he’s turned a frustrating struggle to bring his Canadian fiancé stateside into an album of love songs. Robinson released in December on his label, Joe’s Garage, which he confirms is a is primarily a singer-songwriter affair akin to John Mayer’s solo efforts. Robinson also loves to dub dazzling, jazzy electric solos over acoustic foundations, and challenge conventional pop arrangements. The title track is a perfect example. “There’s one verse, two choruses and a gang of hot guitar solos,” Robinson says with a laugh. To understand where he’s coming from, look no further than the last track on 2019’s . Robinson tells his inspiring life story on “Temagog” in a transcendental spoken-word, stream-of-consciousness-style over a compelling solo acoustic track.