REVIEWS/PRESS
Recent press for "Calendar"
Montreal singer-songwriter JF Robitaille lives up to expectations for most of Calendar, the much-anticipated follow-up to his solo debut EP, The Blood in My Body. Robitaille's songs remain luminous throughout the record even while taking on a tone of pensive resignation. Framing his introspections in the weighty stillness of barebones instrumentation and unhurried, whispery vocals, his languid epiphanies become the album's standout songs. Opener "Modern Love," along with "Winters Like These," "The City Trembles" and "Close to Love," is hauntingly beautiful, as is the psych-folk-inspired title track.
A stellar folk-pop record, its classic melodies, structures and balance of raw and polished finish recalling such 60s and 70s greats as Cohen, Dylan, Lennon, even a touch of the Temptations.
Montreal singer-songwriter JF Robitaille has released a spectacular – yet understated – album of folk-rock. You can hear a classic Montreal influence to his music: the poetic, pensive lyrics and gentle and bleak vocals are eerily reminiscent of a young Leonard Cohen. 8.5/10
I love it when music just stops me in my tracks, puts the brakes on whatever it is I’m doing, and just makes me listen. Troubadour JF Robitaille made me do just that when I took a listen to “Modern Love Song Pt.1″ from his forthcoming debut.
An intimate, soothing album ideal for late-night or early morning listening sessions. With their gentle folk melodies and melancholy lyrics, many tracks sound as if they were pulled from the Leonard Cohen songbook (When We Say Goodbye, Winters Like These, Close to Love, etc.). Others, such as Enemies, which features The Dears’ Murray Lightburn on keys, display a poppier, Beatles-like vibe. Wonderful stuff, really.
Considering his previous success, it would be very easy for this guy to simply record predictable super polished pop that could appeal to the masses (the quick path to success). But instead...Robitaille has chosen to retain artistic integrity and record music that comes from the heart instead of digging for gold. Thirteen cool introspective cuts here including "Modern Love Song Pt. 1," "For Better or Worse," "Close To Love," and "Some Of Us."
There’s always something to be said of an artist who manages to be in near-perfect control of their craft, and that can definitely be said about Montreal solo artist JF Robitaille.
There's absolutely no denying that JF Robitaille is a gifted songwriter, and one that we are likely to be enjoying for years to come.
Every so often a guitar-toting songster strums his way into our hearts and the hearts of our CD players. JF Robitaille manages to do just that with the release of his newest album "Calendar''.
Robitaille's tunes fall deliciously in between folk and rock, acoustic strummers but with obvious edge.
-BOB MERSEREAU (Author of Top 100 Canadian Singles)
-JULY 22nd INTERVIEW ON CBC TV (section 2 at the 7 minute mark)
-OTTAWA MORNING TELEVISION PERFORMANCE
-INTERVIEW IN BEATROUTE MAGAZINE
-MEET YOU AT THE SHOW INTERVIEW
Press for "The Blood In My Body"
"People should really stop complaining about the state of music and pick up the debut EP from this Montreal-born, NYC-based singer-songwriter."
-4/5 STARS HOUR MAGAZINE READ FULL REVIEW
"Lyrically sincere and utterly charming. JF Robitaille could rise to be a Cohen for the new age; but with optimism, melody and a prettier voice."
-EXCLAIM MAGAZINE READ FULL REVIEW
"Both the pristine pop tunes and slow-bop ballads are clean and simple, and their light orchestration, pretty harmonies and pleasant melodies are contrasted by often dark, even depressed lyrics, a great device in the right hands, from Del Shannon to Morrissey to Robitaille."
-8/10 MONTREAL MIRROR READ FULL REVIEW
"Une pop intelligente, dépouillée, efficace et absolument charmante."
-4/5 VOIR READ FULL REVIEW
"A brilliant songwriter."
-CBC RADIO 3 LISTEN TO PODCAST
"His instinct for catchy hooks, intoxicatingly vivid imagery, and softly spoken yet always poignant lyrics, more than compensate for his titillating yet sparse offering of musical gems. With a sound that hovers somewhere between Leonard Cohen, the Velvet Underground, and Nick Drake, Robitaille is a sure bet for anyone appreciative of the singer-songwriter genre."
-SPILL MAGAZINE READ FULL REVIEW
"The EP is a six-song collection of breezy, invigorating musical enlightenment, and each track is like downing an ice-cold glass of lemonade that immediately evokes a short, but sweet, state of pastoral daydreaming."
-4/5 STARS SEE MAGAZINE (EDMONTON)
"Robitaille seems to know exactly how long a song should be without going into long-winded wankery."
-4/5 CHART ATTACK READ FULL REVIEW
These six ballads sway between themes of his New York lifestyle, his relationships and his vulnerable memory. But the brilliance of Robitaille's songwriting comes from his honest simplicity.
-McGILL TRIBUNE READ FULL REVIEW
"Over fourteen minutes of near perfection .THE BLOOD IN MY BODY is one of the best records I have heard in a long time."
-QUITE LIGHT (CALGARY)
"Audaciously catchy, lyrically loaded and penetrating, this elegiac set of songs are the sweet proof of an elegant marriage of poetry and refined folk."
-SIXEYES READ FULL REVIEW
"Crafting beautifully restrained, intelligent pop songs like those he's released on his long-awaited The Blood In My Body EP (out on New York label Rhythmbank Entertainment). Poetic but strikingly masculine."
- NOW MAGAZINE (Toronto)
"This Montreal-born Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter's debut EP The Blood in my Body is like a breath of fresh air. Critics are already raving that Robitaille is bringing that something missing back into the folk-rock scene. He's been said to be invoking the poetic art of Leonard Cohen with the smooth melodic vibes of Jack Johnson."
-THE CONCORDIAN READ FULL REVIEW
"Exceeds all expectations for a new artist."
-SONGS ILLINOIS READ FULL REVIEW
"The opening title track “The Blood in my Body” pretty much defines the J.F.’s sound, which is a very laidback and acoustic, with a hint of melancholia and even maybe a tinge of sadness. This EP is something that I would love to see expanded into a full album release."
-8.5/10 INDIE LAUNCHPAD READ FULL REVIEW
"A great songwriter who sounds nothing like today, and more like yesterday and the future at the same time."
-EARFOOD
"Imagine docile singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, except with a book of Leonard Cohen poems in his hands, not a surfboard. Add a dash of indie-pop whimsy, and you have Montreal-born, Brooklyn-based Robitaille, a buzz artist for 2007."
-THE GLOBE AND MAIL.
