UPDATE: Robert Eustis will host an album release party for The Tipping Point on Thursday, May 12, 7 p.m. at Chickie Wah Wah, 2828 Canal Street.
You’d think that someone’s already written a good song on every possible topic, but New Orleans native Robert Eustis proves that isn’t necessarily so. There are songs here about living with COVID, about the best spot for lasagna in his neighborhood, and a blues about how auto correct turns your best words into garble. “Dry Mouth Blues” is about the effect that lazy salivary glands can have on a singer, and “Sitting on the Porch” is about, well, sitting on the porch. And each one of these tunes will leave you wondering why nobody thought to write them before.
Most of all, Eustis proves that you don’t need a complicated life to write compelling songs. A good observer can find material anywhere. Which is not to say that he doesn’t take on some larger topics. The title track is about the spiritual effects of the pandemic; it doesn’t downplay the dread that’s been in the air, but the song’s conclusion (“there is hope for those of us who persevere”) sounds tough and believable. A more jovial single, “When the Bus Goes By,” concerns something that every musician who plays the streets will recognize: the need to stop singing when public transport drowns you out. He doesn’t even get around to love relationships until the very end of the album. “Not What I Got” also concerns retirement from a day job and how music saw him through (“How’d I get here? I don’t know, but thankfully I got a show”). It’s the very definition of a hard-lived lyric.
Producer André Bohren brings in an A-list of local players while keeping the focus on the singer and the lyrics; he only plays drums on the tracks that absolutely call for them. Jack Craft and Aurora Nealand respectively add cello and sax to the title song. Their contributions are subtle and mood-enhancing. But Eustis’ grizzled troubadour voice is the star here, and with 11 years gone by since his previous album, he’s collected quite a few good stories.
—Brett Milano
