Trespass Music is very pleased to share a rave review for Randall Kromm's CD "Rough and Polished Stones" from No Depression contributor John Apice
Modernized & Original Music Hall, Tin-Pan Alley Tunes With Ordinary Brilliance
Randall Kromm - Rough and Polished Stones
Read the full review CLICK HERE
Read the full review CLICK HERE
"Boston singer-songwriter Randall Kromm explores each song with seriousness, insight and most importantly, effectively in different styles on his fourth release." [Rough and Polished Stones]
"I wasn’t expecting Randall to have three powerful songs in a row but track four “Desert Stars,” is elegant."
"This solidifies Kromm’s diversification as a songwriter. If the day comes when Kromm decides not to sing such middle-of-the-road selections, he could easily reconvene into a great folk-singer, country singer, or pop singer. His voice is warm when it needs to be and sounds like he could growl if he had to. But for now, Randall is covering a genre that Tom Waits isn’t, that Leonard Cohen touched upon but never developed, that Buddy Miller and John Prine do but always seem to pour a little vinegar in. Kromm pours no whiskey into his tunes. They are just wholeheartedly the truth – the naked truth. He may be a small tree growing in the shadow of Richard Thompson and Chet Atkins but even a small tree casts a little shadow."
- John Apice - No Depression contributor
MORE ABOUT RANDALL KROMM
A lifelong musician with a background in musical theater, early music, and the 1980s Boston indy pop scene, Randall Kromm reinvented himself as a folksinger in 2009 and soon realized he'd found his musical home. Playing at coffeehouses, open mikes, and clubs in the greater Boston area, Randall quickly distinguished himself as a songwriter and performer. In the years since, he has performed sold-out shows at Club Passim, New England's premier folk venue, released three CDs, Water Wheel, Holidays and Homecomings, and Time Won't Let Us Stay, and received a multitude of accolades from the music community, including Christine Lavin and Don White.
"Clever songs of love and age from Randall Kromm on "Rough And Polished Stones." Grab your favorite cocktail, sit back, laugh and yeah, sniffle a little!" Joltin' Joe - Radio Nowhere
A prolific songwriter, but also a busy family man, Randall regularly debuts new material through his New Song Video Blog, which features home-spun videos of Randall's songs recorded in and around his home in Winchester, Massachusetts, and in a family vacation home in the small town of Belvidere, Vermont--the inspiration for many of the songs on Time Won't Let Us Stay.
What people are saying
Christine Lavin, a nationally touring folksinger, has hailed Randall's song "Water Wheel" as a "modern classic" and "a new folk standard." Lavin called Kromm out of the audience at a recent show in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to play the song for her fans.
New England performing legend Don White covered the song "Water Wheel" on his 2010 release Winning Streak. White, who has recorded 11 CDs, had never covered another artist's music, but says the song "spoke to me deeply and immediately. My hope is that now lots of people will make the effort to discover the work of this very talented man."
Ellen Schmidt, a musician and producer of folk shows in the Boston area calls Randall "one of the finest songwriters I have heard in the past couple of years. . . Randall can write about the ordinary things that are part of living, family, love, and work and touch his audience every time."
Dan Cloutier, host of the Amazing Things Arts Center open mike and founder of Birch Beer Records, concurs: "Simply put, Randall Kromm is a masterful songwriter. He has the rare ability to look into the life of the common American and see the joys and pains we all have."
Veteran folk performer Tom Smith agrees, saying "Randall’s songs of common life, love, family, hopes, and uncertainty are presented like a conversation with a friend over a dinner table. Intelligent yet fun, relaxed yet musically interesting, introspective yet universal – I find my thoughts returning to his music long after each performance."
"A well done, very positive recording of songs throughout on this third album of Randall Kromm's "Rough And Polished Stones."
Rootstime - Belgium
More at Randall's website https://www.randallkromm.com/
Rough and Polished Stones available on iTunes click HERE