On The Ride of Our Lives, Robinson further betrays his closet-folkie leanings, relying mainly on acoustic guitar arrangements, with a dash of mandolin and a sprinkling of viola and fiddle (courtesy of Nashville's Tim Lorsch) for good measure. Also along for the ride are Ditchflower, Ed Woltil (guitar, keyboards & programming), Chuck Darling (drums) and Steve's 14-year old daughter Emma who adds her sweet voice to two of the tracks.

Replete with wistful imagery from his formative years in northern England, these songs recall old family ties and reflect on the grey areas inherent in the old adage - You can never go back home.

The lyric from the EP's CSN&Y-tinged psych-folk opener, "Come Back" , recalls a fateful decision to leave the country of one's birth ("Places to go, love to take or to leave; big consequences we never conceived...") and wonders if a return is possible, while "Riddles" contrasts days of innocence with the disappointment often felt when revisiting your old childhood haunts as an adult ("Feel your heart break back in the neighbourhood; the faces we make sometimes stay that way for good").

"Is this a bloody midlife crisis record?" - you may be asking. Hopefully not. While the CD's second track is a fiddle-fuelled waltz, ominously titled "Middle of Life", the song's lyric is more celebration than commiseration ("Watch me jump in to the middle of life!") and the lilting title track that closes the set is a life-affirming study of the ongoing relationship between two families growing up on either side of the Atlantic. So while there is a little looking back, Robinson also appears to be looking forward, as well just having a good old look around.

"Nice, but I really like Mumford & Sons" - Mrs Robinson

Credits:
Released 21 October 2011
Produced and Recorded by:
Steve Robinson at Parlor Games, St. Petersburg, FL
Additional Recording by:
Ed Woltil at Tune Tree, Largo, FL
Brian Merrill at Studio B, St. Petersburg, FL
and Tim Lorsch at Fiddle About, Nashville, TN
Mixed & Mastered by:
Brian Merrill at Studio B, St. Petersburg, FL
“Bed of Nails” mixed by Steve Connelly
at Zen Recording, Pinellas Park, FL
Sleeve Design by Ed Woltil