Robbie Robertson

The titular pun of Sinematic cuts both ways. Robbie Robertson drew inspiration from his work for the silver screen – in particular, Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, which resulted in the Van Morrison duet "I Hear You Paint Houses," whose title is pulled from the title of the Frank Sheeran memoir that serves as the basis for the Scorsese film – but Sinematic also feels distinctly like a collection of aural short films. Throughout the album, Robertson relies on atmosphere, a vibe he builds with swathes of synthesizers, half-spoken, half-sung vocals, in the pocket rhythms, and plenty of tasty licks. Such studio precision has been a hallmark of Robertson's solo work, but Sinematic largely dispenses with darkness, at least sonically speaking.

A confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robbie Robertson's young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band.

Ex-Band songwriter/guitarist Robbie Robertson put together this soundtrack, which allowed him to collaborate with blues master Willie Dixon and jazz master Gil Evans, though it was his collaboration with Eric Clapton that produced the album's hit song, "It's in the Way That You Use It." Also featured: Don Henley, Robert Palmer (three tracks), and B. B. King.

The veteran composer Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist with The Band during its "classic" era, teams up with longtime friend Eric Clapton to compose a batch of highly personal new songs. Robertson sounds fantastic backed by the rhythm section of bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Ian Thomas (except on track 8 where drumming ace Jim Keltner steps in). Guest musicians include Steve Winwood, Tom Morello, Robert Randolph, and Trent Reznor.