Hailing from Tennessee, Robin Ella Tipton got her musical start from singing in church. And she was there a lot -- her father was a Baptist deacon, her mother a choir leader. In the late 1990s, she stepped onto the scene after founding Robinella and the CCstringband with her husband, the mandolin master Cruz Contreras.
On her first solo effort, Solace for the Lonely, Robinella fuses a variety of musical influences, from Appalachian church music, straight bluegrass, honky-tonk, jazz, blues and more. The CD features and an enhanced version of the band Robinella and Cruz started in 1997, when they were both students at the University of Tennessee.
Along the way, Robinella even takes on '70s singer Melanie, with a cover of "Brand New Key" that will have you bobbing your head and tapping your foot to the beat.
Copyright 2006 XPN
