Album Notes

Even during the early stages of her career, Cara Robinson was writing and recording with notable artists from a huge range of musical genres, including David Holmes, LTJ Bukem and upcoming EMI artist, Corinne Bailey Rae. She has toured throughout the UK as a session singer, backing singer and solo artist. As a backing singer for Sony's Rhianna, she toured Japan and the UK, supporting Jamiroquai and Beverly Knight. Her soulful, thoughtful and innocent voice has feaured on various documentaries for Ulster TV.
Keeper Lit is Cara's impressive debut album, which she wrote and produced with keyboard player Joe Tatton. the closeness of the band has been established over years of working together and is audible in the tightness of the grooves and subtleties of the tunes.
The collaborative work ignores all musical boundaries and acknowledges all that is good about blues, folk, alt-country and rock, giving more than a nod of gratitude to Cara's roots in Northern Ireland.
While unclassifiable, it's an album which could easily be racked up there with Dusty Springfield, Carlene Anderson, Fiona Apple and Moloko.

Reviewer from "Leeds Music Scene", Andy Buchan writes:

Close your eyes for just a second and imagine a world where the Crazy Frog is merely a jingoistic tabloid headline and where Dido-lite chancers are banished to the bargain bin for eternity. Imagine that John Lennon is still alive and that your newest musical discovery, Cara, is perched at the top of the charts, her woozy, technicolor voice and blues infused stomp soundtracking your lazy, hazy days.

Imagination aside, with "Keeper Lit", Irish lilt-stress Cara has produced a glorious affirmation of live, love and music. Opener "Liftin me softly" is the best song Carole King never wrote, its gently insistent tones rattling around your skull for days. Elsewhere, the breezy West coast pop of "Carry me away" grows into a majestic swoop of strings and wacca-wacca guitar, made all the sweeter by Cara's honey coated vocals.

It's all so infectious and sun drenched that it feels tailor-made for summer, long days with nothing but sultry daydreams to occupy you. It's wonderfully varied too, from the jazztastic piano of "You're saved" to the Zero 7 comedown carnival of "SUN," with every track united by her hypnotic, soulful croon. Best however is "Ivy Green," its rock star sheen and jilted lover cool lending the album real balls. The behemoth bass rumbles menacingly while Valium high vocals gather momentum turning the track into a Donnington sized rock'n'roller.

While she won't make society's shortcomings disappear in the blink of an eye (that's Bono's job), this album will turn your world into a sun-strewn haven for 50 minutes. All you need to do is close your eyes.