Robbie Robertson has finally revealed details about his sixth solo album.
It's titled Sinematic, and he says it was inspired by his decades of creating and composing music for film. “I was working on music for [director Martin Scorsese's upcoming film]The Irishman and working on the documentary [Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band], and these things were bleeding into each other. I could see a path. Ideas for songs about haunting and violent and beautiful things were swirling together like a movie. You follow that sound and it all starts to take shape right in front of your ears. At some point, I started referring to it as ‘Peckinpah Rock',” a nod to the late director Sam Peckinpah.
The first single, “I Hear You Paint Houses,” is already available for streaming and as an instant download with a digital album pre-order. The song, which is about confessed hit man Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, is a duet with Van Morrison.
"I Hear You Paint Houses" by Robbie Robertson, featuring Van Morrison, from the forthcoming album Sinematic:
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Another song on the album is about his days in The Band, and is the title track to theOnce Were Brothers documentary. "There is war and conflict involved. Writing it hurt inside sometimes, but those experiences can be rewarding in the emotional outcome. It hurt but I loved it.”
Set for release on September 20th,Sinematic will be available in numerous configurations. A deluxe edition, limited to 1,000 copies, will be out on October 25th with the album on CD and two vinyl discs with a 36-page hardcover book of artwork Robertson created for each track.Four of the images he created are available for purchase as framed canvas prints in a limited run of 100 each. 10 canvas prints of the album’s cover art will be signed by Robertson with proceeds benefiting the American Indian College Fund.
SInematic is his first album since 2011’s How to Become Clairvoyant.