Written for Caroline in 1991. Recorded for our wedding in 1993 and then redone for our 25th anniversary. The voice is a little bit scratchier and a little bit lower, but the lyrics are far more real.

Dare

With a little help from Captain James Horenburg on the resonator guitar. Melodica solo. Drawn from the tragic phrase, "Among all her lovers she had none to comfort her" found in Lamentations One.

Lament 1

Sparse arrangement with guitar, 3-string strumstick, melodica, cajon.  Percussion by Chris Hickman.

Songbird

Performed at The Greatest Artist, an InterVarsity sponsored open-mic night at Maryville College, with help from members of the Gospel Choir.

Twice

Guitars, drums, fretless bass, melodica, horn section.

Stay. By Bob Roberts

Written for an open mic night sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Background vocals by TLAT Elena (The Lovely and Talented). 

I Saw Jesus. By Bob Roberts

A song for the church. Jim Horenburg adds some of the guitar licks (the best ones.)

Bride (Woman in White)

A Charles Wesley hymn with a new arrangement. Piano, Irish whistles, uilleann bagpipes.

A Perfect Heart 1

I Knew

About a runaway daughter and a parent's pain. Instrumentation includes the "devil chaser" (a bamboo percussion instrument) and Irish whistles.

Who Holds Her Now

An undersea journey with uilleann bagpipe and Irish whistles. A fun, simple piece written for a live demo of the Irish bagpipes.

Captain Nemo & The Ginormous Bubblefish

Doctor In The House

The Way I Am

Celtic Women's "To Where You Are". Originally sung by Chloe Andrews, this arrangement is in the key of A, arranged and performed by Bob Roberts for a  live vocal performance. Features Irish whistles and Uilleann Pipes.

Celtic Women: To Where You Are, No Vocals, in A

Instrumental: early experiment with DAW after years of MIDI synced to tape. 

Sonic mood

I "saw" this after meeting the man the song describes; like in a dream but I was awake. He was a customer in my shop and I gently asked if he was having an affair. We talked (or rather I listened). I never heard the ending of his story though I had a fairly awkward phone call from his wife.

Drink

Instrumental with Irish whistles, piano and gamelan bells. 

Gamelan Orchestra. Instrumental with Irish Whistle

Written for my wedding. Rerecorded in 2009 with TLAT Elena (the lovely and talented) on violin.

Bridal Party Processional. Instrumental with Piano, Strings, Violin

Rough, unfinished idea with a great groove. About a girl that lived with my family for a while. There are more lyrics and the song was briefly reborn as "Twice" and performed at Maryville College with members of the Gospel Choir, but not to my liking yet. 

Sunhee Days.

Instrumental accompaniment for a spoken word piece. Piano, Irish whistle, oboe and orchestra. Imagines the way it was meant to be and how we now wait for redemption.

Waiting

Backing track for my daughter to perform with. I followed the original by Celtic Women fairly closely (though in a different key) but took liberties with instrumentation, adding uilleann pipes, Irish whistles, and a nylon string guitar.

Send Me A Song. Backing track for a Celtic Women tune.

A backing track for Someday by the Celtic Women. Rearranged for my daughter (TLAT Elena - the lovely and talented) to perform with. I followed the original pretty closely, though in a different key. Mostly Roland XV-5080 sounds, with live snare, cymbals, and windchimes.

Someday. Backing Track for a Celtic Women tune.

Fun tune for the little woman. Recorded in the '90's with pre-digital MOTU DP and an 8-track cassette portastudio. About halfway through, it breaks into a latin-beat jam with me on organ, David Bruce on electric guitar, and Hartmut Dorschner on sax. He was visiting his sister in the U.S., ended up at the Red Fish in Naperville where Dave was playing a set, and then back to my place for a very late night jam session. Big  bummer: Dave was just getting wound up on guitar when the SMPTE code dropped off, midi tracks stopped tracking, and the whole thing just ground to a halt. I faded out at the "What the...."

Sweetie

Backing track for a tune in progress. Electric piano, Hammond organ, background vocals by TLAT Elena (the lovely and talented).

Sunhee Days. Backing track, no vocals

Backing track for Corner (Bus Stop) by Bob Roberts. Rock/alternative with guitars, Hammond organ, Irish whistles.

Corner (Bus Stop). Backing track, No Vocals

Backing track for Charles Wesley's "A Perfect Heart". Tune written, arranged, and performed by Bob Roberts. Piano, strings, Irish whistles, uilleann pipes.

A Perfect Heart by Charles Wesley. Backing track, no vocals

Bob, his wife, their children, assorted fish, rodents, and Buddy the Wonder Dog live as quietly as can be expected in eastern Tennessee. He writes and records with Digital Performer, MOTU interfaces, Roland synths, and a closet full of acoustic instruments. 

He's usually busy fixing old books (website above) but would love to write soundtracks someday.

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