Artist Of The Week - Jimmy Robbins

[Picture credit www.myspace.com]

Jimmy Robbins first caught my eye in 2009 with his single 'Turn It Up'. This soon became one of my favourite songs and, although not as amazing as 'Turn It Up', his following singles did not disappoint. The witty lyrics at the beginning put a smile on my face: the song begins with a slow guitar rhythm and then speeds up in the chorus and the first few lyrics are 'nothing playing but the radio, switching on a song that starts off slow...again'. Jimmy first began playing guitar when he was eight and started writing his own songs at only eleven years old. His mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and she passed away when he was eleven; he says he began writing music because it was the only way of communicating with her. A few years later, his father was diagnosed with cancer. Naturally, this led to him being a more mature artist than many young singers and, because he writes himself, his music has a lot more meaning as it is clear he can extract his own youthful emotion into songs. Jimmy has a unique voice which is quite nasally but it makes his songs recognisable. His latest EP 'Borrowed Time' is more professional than 'Turn It Up' and his similar single 'Gonna Get Better', but this is expected as it was released three years after. His guitar playing has improved, his lyrics are more poetic, but he still possesses that same precious little voice. My personal favourites on 'Borrowed Time' are 'Mmm Honey' and 'An Angel Lives In Brooklyn'.

Have a listen to 'Turn It Up' and tweet me or comment if it makes you smile too.