Reviews…

Trinity Arts Live @ the BACKBEAT CAFE (July 2010)
Gary Brown

Robert brought a tremendous sense of energy, focus, excellent grade fun, and entertainment to our July show of Trinity Arts – LIVE! at the Backbeat Cafe & Listening Room. We seek out folks who are not only accomplished veterans of the stage but those who really have “something” to say through their work. Robert is no exception. In one of the few true “Listening Rooms” available among the Coffeehouse performance venues in the Dallas area, Gotcher was able to completely captivate the entire room the whole time he was onstage. Caught up between his stories and extremely well crafted songs, I think we could have effortlessly sat there listening and rocking for another hour. It was truly a pleasure to have him grace our humble stage at Trinity Arts – LIVE! and we hope we may see more of him in the future.

INK.19 (Sept 2009)
By Robert M. Sutton
Sutton Music Group

Singer/songwriter Robert Gotcher embodies the moodier, introspective side of Christian rock. In other words, much of the material on here probably wouldn’t be light and pop enough for praise and worship radio stations. The first cut, “Never Let It Go,” is as close as Gotcher gets to a stadium-ready Christian anthem, his undying love for God as vividly and loudly pronounced as it can be. Gotcher doesn’t do a Bono, either, disguising scripture in the context of rock poetry; his spiritual leanings are open and exploding with sincere affection.

However, Gotcher throws curveballs throughout the record. While other Christian artists are reluctant to expose personal wounds, Gotcher lets it bleed. “Goodbye” hovers overhead like a black cloud, its melancholic beauty touching and breaking the heart simultaneously. There is no happy, sugar-coated ending in “Goodbye”; just like its title states, it is a final farewell, a tear-soaked admission of defeat. There isn’t even a sense of life getting better after the break-up. The song reflects the reality of a busted relationship with no hope of repair.

Nevertheless, this is an overall positive album. The reggae-tinged “Real Life Charades” and the infectious crystalline jangle of “Sweet Clarity” brighten the dimmest of summer shades. Gotcher’s songwriting is straightforward and honest but doesn’t forget that only hooks can elevate a tune from words on paper to melodies that soar like angel wings.

Fort Worth Start Telegram
By Preston Jones
DFW.com

Robert Gotcher, Change (Raven Music): Throw a little Jesus into melodic pop-rock music, and people get awfully skittish. Grand Prairie’s Gotcher manages to keep the proselytizing in check, preferring to spin out surprisingly funky, spiritually charged tracks that never beat you over the head. More info: www.robertgotcher.com

All About Jazz (Beyond Jazz)
By Robert M. Sutton
Sutton Music Group

Singer/songwriter Robert Gotcher may pray to Jesus, but musically he is also a disciple of the Black Crowes and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Consequently, Gotcher will be tagged as “classic rock” by some parties. It’s a perfectly valid description as Gotcher’s Southern sneer and the meat-and-potatoes arrangements recall the glory days of blue-collar AOR. However, that comparison ignores what is beneath the surface, the mood-laden acoustic undertow of some Gotcher’s slower songs and the free-flowing creativity that, for example, injects a reggae vibe onto “Real Life Charades.”

Because of the spiritual content in his lyrics, Gotcher can be pegged as a Christian artist, too. But Gotcher refuses to fall into the cookie-cutter mentality of many Bible rockers. Gotcher strays from the slick pop anthems that saturate the airwaves of Christian stations. The opening cut, “Never Let It Go,” finds Gotcher expressing his loyalty to God; however, there’s nothing angelic about the track’s sizzling Texas-fried riffs. “Change” employs a mellow, atmospheric rhythm reminiscent of Steely Dan while “Sweet Clarity” is sun-kissed jangle rock.

When Gotcher cuts into the layers of his heart, he hits his artistic peak. The crestfallen “Goodbye” is a poignant break-up tale that actually expresses more sorrow in its downbeat unplugged guitars than in its bittersweet lyrics. In the soulful “You and Me,” Gotcher sings, “We’re like the movies/That people see/And dream about the possibilities.” Romance and salvation share the same shelf space in Gotcher’s world, one that is closer to reality than much of what his Christian contemporaries usually offer.

What people are saying about Change

“Robert Gotcher is one of the few true musical artists you’ll find. …You’ll be blown away with every song on Change.“
- Dave Walser, Beatlegras

“Every single song is well written, memorable, and catchy. I find myself singing them over and over during the day.“
- Michelle Williams

“You can feel the passion behind every lyric and every rhythm. From the first chord to the last this album gives you a little of everything. If you truly want a CD that will never leave your player, then this is it.”
- Trevor DeVage

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