Recorded at the same sessions that produced the summer of 2016's
Anyway You Love, We Know How You Feel, the EP
If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home by Now is its own distinct beast. Where
Anyway could float away in a smoky haze,
If You Lived Here largely stays earthbound, emphasizing CRB's songwriting and affinity for Americana learned through
the Band and
the Grateful Dead. The same easy interplay from the LP is felt here but, in a way, it's even more striking in the context of this easy-rolling, funky country-rock and hippie soul. By largely concentrating on songs -- "From the North Garden" does act as a droning palate cleanser -- it becomes evident that the band has its own mellow chemistry and, in turn, that
Robinson is writing lazy rockers ("New Cannonball Rag") and ragged ballads ("Sweet Sweet Lullaby") that are as good as anything he's ever done. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine