Rob Smith - Never A Dull Moment (2009)

Rob Smith - Never A Dull Moment
(Released 2nd July 2009)
Released by Polar Music New Zealand
Produced by Rob Smith @ Polar Music New Zealand Studio's, Ratapiko, Taranaki, New Zealand
"Free Spirit", "Tears Of The Sun" & "Let Me Out - Produced by Rob Smith @ Polar Music New Zealand Studio's, New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand
Mastered by Rob Smith @ Polar Music New Zealand Studio's, Ratapiko, Taranaki, New Zealand

- Rob Smith (Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Programming)
- Nils-Ole Finbak (Keyboards - "Cinderella")
- Matt Sturgess (Bass - "On Common Ground")
- Richard Anderson (Narration - "On Common Ground")

1. Cinderella (Rob Smith)
2. It's Getting On Top Of Me (Rob Smith)
3. Never A Dull Moment (Richard Anderson, Rob Smith)
4. What Happened To My World? (Rob Smith)
5. Free Spirit (Richard Anderson, Rob Smith)
6. Freedom To Be Who I Am (Rob Smith)
7. You Say You Want To Be Free (Richard Anderson, Rob Smith)
8. On Common Ground (Richard Anderson, Rob Smith, Matt Sturgess)
9. Tears Of The Sun (Richard Anderson, Rob Smith)
10. Good Memories Are Made To Last (Richard Anderson, Rob Smith)
11. Let Me Out (Rob Smith)
12. You're Free (Richard Anderson, Rob Smith)

Written and recorded during several different sessions, this collection is Rob's 3rd official solo album. "On Common Ground", "Good Memories Are Made To Last", "What Happened To My World?" & "Cinderella" were all written and recorded during "GONE WILD II" sessions. "Tears Of The Sun" was the first ever song that Rob Smith and Richard Anderson co-wrote together.

Notes by Richard Anderson:
Rob was initially going to begin recording this album in 2007, but testament to him being a team player, he put aside the bulk of his attention to complete writing and production of both the "Something To Remember" and "GONE WILD II" collections (as well as finishing up work on the Houston Wells collection "Now & Then", and
also remastering several of his own archived releases).

Whenever the moment took him and whenever the muse was kind, Rob was able to write and record several of the songs that make up this album during the middle of the previously mentioned sessions. This in itself shows what a talent Rob is, being able to flit between genre's as if it wasn't a problem at all...it still astounds me.

Other tracks that make up "Never A Dull Moment" have been sitting in the archives for a wee while waiting for their moment in the sun (or rain), it was a pleasure to have been once again involved in the writing process and seeing that Rob's 3rd solo album is brought to light as we had discussed, we have a motto in that if we say we are going to bring an album out, then we will do our best to complete each project.

Rob Smith & Nils-Ole Finbak - Atmospheres (2009)

Rob Smith & Nils-Ole Finbak - Atmospheres
(Released June 2009)
Released by Polar Music New Zealand
Piano Recorded @ Finbak Music Studio's, Bobo, Norway
Vocals & Guitars Recorded @ Polar Music New Zealand Studio's, Ratapiko, Taranaki, New Zealand
Produced by Rob Smith @ Polar Music New Zealand Studio's, Ratapiko, Taranaki, New Zealand
Mastered by Rob Smith @ Polar Music New Zealand Studio's, Ratapiko, Taranaki, New Zealand

- Rob Smith
- Vocals, Guitars

- Nils-Ole Finbak
- Piano, Programming - "Mother Love" & "...And I Think (Song For Freddie)"

1. Intro + Our Love Will Always Shine (R.Smith, N.Finbak)
2. Sometimes (C.Bosley, R.Anderson, R.Smith, N.Finbak)
3. New Zealand Bound (R.Smith, N.Finbak)
4. It Won't Be Long (R.Anderson, R.Smith, N.Finbak)
5. I Wish I Didn't Have To Say Goodbye (R.Anderson, R.Smith, N.Finbak)
6. We Will Live (R.Anderson, R.Smith, N.Finbak)
7. Michigan (R.Anderson, R.Smith, N.Finbak)
8. ...And I Think (Song For Freddie) (R.Anderson, R.Smith, N.Finbak)
9. Mother Love (R.Anderson, R.Smith, N.Finbak)
10. Winter (R.Smith, N.Finbak)
11. Goodbye (Richard Anderson, R.Smith, N.Finbak)
12. Seascape (Instrumental) (R.Smith, N.Finbak)


Notes by Richard Anderson:
This collection has been 2 and a half years in the making (although technically it was only really worked on between other projects). Rob had always wanted to make a stripped back collection of songs with the vocals and piano being the main focus, so it was something special when Nils-Ole (aka Nilsy) came onboard and said he was up for it.

Rob and I had both seperately at different times had visions of working on projects that featured just vocals and piano - stripped back songs in essence, where the vocals and the words did all the talking, and the music sat back and just took the mind to different places. This was what lead to us working on this album with Nilsy, also we wanted to showcase what a remarkable piano player Nilsy is. I am personally rather touched by several of the songs on this album, I think they have shown a whole other side to our abilities as songwriters, working with the likes of Rob and Nilsy is something I never take for granted, so to have been so wonderfully represented here is a blessing.

GONE WILD - GONE WILD

GONE WILD - GONE WILD

GONE WILD + Friends @ Facebook

Released January 2007
Released by Polar Music New Zealand / GONE WILD Productions
Produced by Rob Smith @ Polar Music New Zealand Studio's, Ratapiko, Taranaki, New Zealand
Mastered by Rob Smith @ Polar Music New Zealand Studio's, Ratapiko, Taranaki, New Zealand

- Rob Smith - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Programming
- Richard Anderson - Vocals, Narrations
- Nils-Ole Finbak - Norske Narration, Piano, Keyboards, WILD Guitars
- Matt Sturgess - Bass
- Carol Smith - Harmonica - "Don't Need Them Blues"
- Chris Szkup - Lead Guitars - "Montage"
- Robin Wellaway - Sax - "The Good Ole Boys", "Heavens Above" & "Don't Need Them Blues")

1. Don't Wanna Be A Star (R.Anderson, R.Smith, M.Sturgess)
2. Escape (R.Anderson, R.Smith, M.Sturgess, N.Finbak)
3. The Good Ole Boys (R.Anderson, R.Smith, M.Sturgess, N.Finbak)
4. GONE WILD (R.Anderson, R.Smith, M.Sturgess, N.Finbak)
5. Heavens Above (R.Anderson, R.Smith, M.Sturgess, N.Finbak)
6. Achilles (Instrumental) (R.Smith, M.Sturgess, N.Finbak)
7. War Of Words (R.Anderson, R.Smith, M.Sturgess, N.Finbak)
8. Don't Need Them Blues (R.Anderson, R.Smith, M.Sturgess, N.Finbak)
9. Montage (Richard Anderson, Rob Smith, Matt Sturgess, N.Finbak)
10. El Pronto Mofo (R.Anderson, R.Smith, M.Sturgess, N.Finbak)
11. Ditto (R.Anderson, R.Smith, M.Sturgess, N.Finbak)
12. Comfort Within (R.Anderson, R.Smith, M.Sturgess, N.Finbak)
13. Introspective/Outrospective (R.Anderson, R.Smith, M.Sturgess, N.Finbak)
14. Turn Off The Lights (R.Anderson, R.Smith, M.Sturgess, N.Finbak)

Notes by Richard Anderson:
Both Rob Smith and Tim P Hall had been at me to put together a solo album of my own at some point, but I didn't really think anyone would want to be hearing me do my thing. As a compromise I had said to Rob that perhaps we should pool our efforts alongside Nils-Ole Finbak, who I had been writing a lot of material with (and also Rob had some material he was working on with him) and create a hard rock project that we could be listed within as equals rather than a solo album. Rob was at first keen to come onboard to play some guitar as needed, but then he thought about it further and suggested that why don't we go the whole hog and have him come onboard fulltime as both guitarist and producer?. Given that Rob had other projects he was working on we felt that he must have indeed been quite serious in his wanting to come onboard, so we took him up on the offer - and thus GONE WILD was born. Actually the name was supposed to be GOING WILD but somewhere along the line one of us (we've blamed Nilsy) typed the wrong name in an email. During one of his get-togethers (christened Ratapiko Rockfest) at his place I met Matt Sturgess and having heard good things about him from Rob, we struck up a conversation and I mentioned to him how Rob, Nilsy and I were going to be working on a hard rock-blues rock based collection of songs and that we would be keen for him to come onboard as a bass player if he wanted. Matt didn't have to take a second asking, he was keen as. The "GONE WILD" album took only 4 months to complete.

More information on the making of this album and also some reviews will be added to this blog soon.


You can purchase this album by simply emailing: robertsmith@xtra.co.nz or breakfree74@hotmail.com