Sonya Robinson
A Miss Black America (1983-84) from Milwaukee, Robinson plays jazz violin well enough to impress such people as Wynton Marsalis and Miles Davis. She plays something like Davis on this LP in fact, spurting out fits and starts of phrases over rambling compositions mostly written by her producer-guitarist-keyboardist, Jean-Paul Bourelly. Not everyone can pack as much music into as little space as Davis can, and Robinson comes off sounding hesitant rather than cryptic. She does play with a rich tone and at times—on Green Eyes, for instance—suggests a capacity to conjure up a melodic idea and take off with it. Finally, however, this album seems incomplete. It's clear that Robinson can play, but this is not the kind of debut people call "auspicious." (Columbia)
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