Album title:
Night Time Stories
Artist:
Robert Owens
Label:
Compost Records
Possibly the definitive voice in the history of house music, Robert Owens' career spans the past twenty-odd years. From mid-eighties singles Mystery Of Love and Can You Feel It? alongside Larry Heard, to his work with David Morales, Frankie Knuckles and Satoshie Tomie on classics I'll Be Your Friend and Tears, not to mention partnerships on Photek and Coldcut productions on Mine To Give and Walk A Mile In My Shoes respectively, his talents are undeniable. Night Time Stories sees Owens add his trademark tones to music from Wahoo, Jimpster, Atjazz, Charles Webster, Simbad, Marc Romboy and Ian Pooley. Perhaps due to his impressive canon of past collaborations it was always going to be tough to deliver comparable efforts and it's indeed the case here, though the piano-led, Only Me and more down-beat, Never Give Up do impress. Consideration should also be given to Owens' sometimes overwrought delivery, making an album's worth of his material slightly too rich an indulgence. [Colin Chapman]