Only The Now is the Musical Diary of an Industry Icon

Before I start penning this review there are a few things I need to make clear.

One, until April 2015, I’d never even listened to a Tom Robinson song, never mind album. I was therefore not a fan of music and, furthermore knew nothing about the man, bar that he was a DJ on BBC6 Music.

Two, since April 2015, all of that has changed. Significantly. More of which anon.

Tom Robinson…Who? Un-caped crusader for multiple “rights” campaigns, champion of emerging talent, fore-runner of the BBC Introducing campaign, radio host, singer-musician, husband, father and all round #lege!

Said lege has just brought out his first album in 20 years, to celebrate, amongst other things, his 65th birthday. Taking inspiration from the tons of new music which has passed through his ears, and indeed his soul, during his time at BBC6 Music, it is also fair to say that “the now” was probably just as good a time as any. If not, why not. It never leaves you: the desire to create and perform, the need to” let it all (not necessarily hang) out”.

‘Only the Now’ is compiled of eleven very diverse tracks, varying greatly in theme and sound. To enhance the diversity and add some colour to the mix, Tom collaborated with a coterie of equally talented artistes (as they say), including Lisa Knapp, Ian Mc Kellen, Colin Firth (swoon), Swami Baracus and John ‘OMG’ Grant (faints).

If one thing is true, it’s that these songs are all genuine, 100% Tom Robinson – what he is thinking and how, what he is feeling and how. Tom sings, what Tom thinks, how Tom feels. There’s no bullshit - as it should be!

In ‘Only the Now’ Tom has produced an eclectic, vibrant and entertaining pick n mix of emotion steeped tracks. That emotion ranges from fury and repugnance to sorrow and regret, impassioned wrath through satirical contempt, ending with sentimental reminiscence.

“There’s one law for the rich and another one for the poor”

‘The Mighty Sword of Justice’ is a booming censorious rail against the British “Justice” system (futile usage of inverted commas attempting to convey the tonnage of ire and sarcasm weighing down the lyric of this song!). For this track Tom brought in social justice heavyweights Billy Bragg, Martin Carthy and Lisa Knapp, oh and let’s not forget the unruly mob of ‘Pledgers’ who added a rabble rousing element to the chorus. It’s a cracker of a song – full of guts, gusto and some lush steel pan sounds courtesy of Frank Rollock!

‘Cry Out’ is by far and away the strongest faster tempoed track on the album. Featuring a pared back, subtle performance by John Grant on vocal and a blistering guitar sequence from Adam Phillips, ‘Cry Out’ is a perfectly synchronized, masterful piece of song writing, musicianship and production. 10/10.

Speaking of production, ‘Only the Now’ was produced by the super lovely and mega talented gentleman and musician that is, Gerry Diver. A renowned multi-instrumentalist, Diver also contributed to the album playing violin, piano, banjo, his “world famous” saw (you know that spooky wobbly sound you hear! That’s Gerry!!), and what he hilariously terms “everything else”.

Back to April 2015!

I didn’t hear the album ‘Only the Now’ for the first time this week or last. I heard it back in April, when I was one of a privileged few who happily spent a long afternoon & evening with Tom, Gerry and Tom’s right hand-man – the Benny to his TC - Lee Forsyth-Griffiths, Mancunian Man-about-Music, gifted vocalist and all round space-cadet. (We were also blessed to be in the company of Missis Trellis and the gal with the flash, Kate de Ban! Hi Ladies xx).

During that afternoon we were lucky enough to hear some masters from the album, but in the main Tom, Lee, & Gerry played us rough, untouched recordings, demos, and live versions of the songs. Two stood out head and shoulders above the rest.

The first was ‘Don’t Jump, Don’t Fall’ on which Tom had the speaking part, while the vocal duty fell to Lee Forsyth Griffiths, whose interpretation is simply stunning, his vocal, touchingly poignant. I sat opposite Lee while that song was being played; he never once looked up, just kept his face turned towards the ground, humbled, embarrassed. It was emotional!

Tom’s soft, emotionally nuanced spoken word packs a punch – the lyrics bite, they hit, but in the main they reflect a deep and reflective insight into the minds and lives of the troubled young men our society so dismissively ignores every day.

It is testament to Tom’s dedication to justice and rights, that the proceeds of this song, when it was released as a single back in June, were 100% donated to CALM – Campaign Against Living Miserably – a charity dedicated to preventing male suicide (https://www.thecalmzone.net/ )

The second stand out song of the day, and for me the best track on this album, was the spine tingling, utterly beautiful, tear inducing title track – ‘Only the Now’. With Nitin Sawhney on piano, Gerry on violin, guitar and keys, and Tom on solo vocal it’s an unfussy, acoustic composition. Tom played us the first cut home demo.

The hairs stood up on the back of my neck and Amanda Humphreys, another one of our group, was reduced to tears. Hearing this song for the first time was one of those special moments in my life which I will never forget. With tears in our eyes we burst into spontaneous applause.

The others were die-hard Tom fans…and now I was a newly converted one, having previously only ever listened to him on BBC6 Music.

But this isn’t about me, this is about ‘Only the Now’, an album by a music legend, a man of many talents, with a great mind, impassioned soul, and a radio voice so soft it’s like silk. A man of humour, with a strong sense of justice, whose depth of feeling spills over and touches all those who know him. All of those traits have spilled over into this album, making it something of a personal legacy, a musical diary if you will, of the heart and mind of an industry icon.

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