Bobby Balderrama's alter ego, The Robert Lee Band, has hit the road runnin' with their self-titled debut CD. It's a killer 10 track collection of Robert Lee music -a bluesy raveup that evokes images of roadhouse gin mills and smokey after-hour bars. Balderrama wrote or co-wrote 6 of the 10 tracks with the able assistance of Jim Garrison and his bandmates. Bobby's muscular guitar work is a highlight throughout - glistening tone-rich solos that whine, moan, and rock without overwhelming the integrity of the songs. The music has "space" to breathe allowing each band member to stretch, support, or take the lead as needed. Frank Rodriguez's keyboard work is uniformly imaginative and masterful. And the rhythm section is dynamite. Randy Hurry, Saginaw's prodigal son, holds it all together with a rock-solid backbeat. and he's not afraid to bang the crap out of those skins. Ron Dozier is a master on bass whether workin' on a funk groove or a pulsating bottom line.
Music without pretense. Welcome to the Robert Lee Band's Debut album.
Bobby's spoken lead-in, "Hey Boss". introduces the opening track, My Sweet Time, a great blues workout that showcases Bobby's scorching guitar pyrotechnics and Rodriguez' tasteful keys. It is followed by the band's first single, The Bluest Blues. The performance is simply stunning! A great song. A great production. Shoulda been a hit. `Nuff said. Track 3, Crazy World, a Jim Garrison/Bobby Balderrama collaboration is the band's current single. And it's a MONSTER! It begins with Randy Hurry's wood block metronome beat, followed by a killer riff by Bobby that gradually builds into a bonafide wall-of-sound dance track. It's got everything - great production, a irresistable hook, and powerful vocals. The lyrical image-distortions allude to an underlying war between the sexes - social commentary on acid. It's a crazy world indeed - if this ain't a hit! Jim Garrison's Bullseye is a metaphorical discourse on romantic longing. In his search for love, the protagonist never seems to hit the mark. No matter. Bobby's searing guitar, Rodriguez' keyboard cum horn section, and some great harp lines by Bill Rosebush brings this cut to a satisfying conclusion. Endless Lies, a Balderrama composition, creates a melancholy musical landscape that accentuates it's lyrical theme of love lost and romantic betrayal. Bobby's vocal is compelling...the heartbreak is palpable. A great tune!Track 6, Lockdown Blues has a funky groove wrapped around Rodriguez staccato organ riff and driven by Balderrama's quicksilver guitar.Even When She's Bad is a Hurry/Rodriguez composition about mature love and friendship... you know what I'm talkin' about - that elusive deep-down forever kind of commitment we all dream about. The band stretches out and shows their stuff. Great Balderrama vocal and Hurry bangs the skins like a dingoe in heat.One Too Many utilizes a homely metaphor - a familiar phrase in many bars and taverns- to describe the plight of a man down on his luck in the romance department. Bobby mentions White's Bar in the opening lyric. Thanks guys!When I Hold You features some cool group vocals on the chorus and intricate keyboard notations by `Lil Frank. The Final cut,Talk To Me is a sensual delight - a naughty slow blues, lascivious and hilarious in the best tradition of the Troggs. Bobby's "talking blues" vocal is complimented by some incredible "talking guitar" lines(ala Peter Frampton)in a call and response pattern. "Get belly tight". A superb closer!

Bobby Balderrama has emerged from the shadow of his`60's fame with Question Mark & the Mysterians to find his own identity in the Robert Lee Band. This debut cd documents the growth and maturity of one of our most cherished Michigan Rock pioneers. The music is pure Balderrama unaffected by studio gimmickry and free from marketing calculation. It's the real thing. Can lightening strike twice?

Take a listen to "Crazy World" on our jukebox page.