Let The Longing Run Wild & Free is the 13th album by ROBERT SARAZIN BLAKE. The album is an investigation into and celebration of the human condition. It evokes nostalgia and longing, a sense of remembering where one has been, where one might have gone and the relentless onward thrust. Robert has a gift for expressing complex emotions and ideas in simple terms, quickly drawing listeners in with his evocative storytelling and poetic lyrics. Throughout the album, Robert’s rich baritone shifts from the haunting vibrato of Edith Piaf to the gravelly intensity of Chris Cornell. At times, his tender delivery echoes the quiet depth of early Leonard Cohen while in other moments he finds the resonant power of a young Johnny Cash. One of the highlights of Let The Longing Run Wild & Free is the inspired, first-hand account of the song “New York City/Brooklyn Bridge.” According to Blake, “I wrote the song while sitting in East River Park late morning to sunset. As humanity buzzed around I took notes. I generally require privacy to write and rehearse, but noises of the city allowed me to blend with the texture. Attitudes shift immediately in a New York City park. The guard goes down, the view opens up. It’s a common space, it’s a backyard, it’s a picnic.” Let the Longing Run Wild & Free features Robert’s longtime collaborators Lee Falco, Brandon Morrison, Will Bryant, and Connor Kennedy, along with Cindy Cashdollar (featured on Bob Dylan’s Time Out of Mind).
Their textured contributions give the songs depth and dimension. A careful listener may hear echoes of Joni Mitchell’s Hejira, Lou Reed’s New York, and Lucinda Williams’ Car Wheels On A Gravel Road woven throughout. Robert Sarazin Blake has been a fixture of the Pacific Northwest roots scene since 1996. He’s also toured extensively around the U.S. and beyond. He became well-known on the East Coast from 2001 to 2003 and continues visiting regularly. Annual tours through the midwest and south brought Robert fans and friends, and he was welcomed in Milwaukee, St. Louis and Austin. Blake also regularly toured Ireland, culminating in an album collaboration with piper John McSherry. Blake has also toured Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
