25. March 2025
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Media Review

Robert Forster – The Candle and the Flame

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Robert Forster - The Candle and the Flame

Robert Forster - The Candle and the Flame
3.7

Rating

 3.7/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Some really beautiful songs
  • Touching story of the album

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Album includes some average listens

The story of the album The Candle and the Flame is really dramatic and touching. Australian artist Robert Forster recorded the nine songs with his German wife Karin Bäumler, while she was in chemotherapy and fighting against cancer. Not only the way the couple completed the recordings in Brisbane touched me and thus I selected the album for a review (even though she is just present at some scattered spots of the songs). Release date of the album is 3rd February 2023.

 

Robert Forster – About The Artist

The Candle and the Flame is already the eighth studio album by Robert Forster, who was born on 29th June 1957 in Brisbane, Queensland. The country / folk artist started with indie rock in the late 1970’s, when he co-founded the Go-Betweens, which overall released nine studio albums and had quite some international reputation. Robert Derwent Garth Forster, which is is full civil name, had is solo debut album in 1990 with Danger in the Past. His previous album release is Inferno, which was physically and digitally published in 2019. Forster also wrote three books (two about the Go-Betweens) and also had a few appearances as an actor.

 

 

Robert Forster – The Candle and the Flame – Track by Track

The nine song album lasts 37 minutes.

1. She’s A Fighter

With the introduction I gave you on the album, it is rather clear that this song is also focusing on Robert Forster’s wife. Nonetheless, the song with the limited lyrics (She’s a fighter, fighting for good) rather feels like an intro to the other tracks, especially as it is also the shortest listen of all nine tracks.

2. Tender Years

From 2:13 minutes to 5:28 – Tender Years is easily more than two times longer than its predecessor. The song keeps a bit of the indie-touch of the intro, but rather moves towards folk and country characteristics.The range of notes is not that large, but the song still impresses while listening.

I’m in a story with her,
I know I can’t live without her
I can’t imagine one
Walking through salt and water,
I see how far we’ve come

3. It’s Only Poison

The album feels to be thawing more and more. The song already features slightly more happy vibes – and you can also listen to the voice of Karin Bäumler in the background. It’s only poison, taste it and you know – the third song is still very dramatic and also comes with some lyrics which stay in your mind.

4. The Roads

The Roads is the second song on the album, which exceeds a duration of five minutes. Already the first acoustic guitar chords give a bit of a country music feeling. Nonetheless, the general style of the songs stays in line with the songs before. The song is a lovely narration, not making too much use of larger intervals between the songs. The music is made to join in and tell the story in there, for sure.

5. I Don’t Do Drugs I Do Time

The fifth song is done by the couple together again. It is one of the most beautiful listens of the album to me. It has a nice vibe and rhythm. The two vocalists working together are also just giving more energy to the song, which finally is creating quite a happy mood.

6. Always

I’ve been thinking about you, always are already the very first words of the song. Overall, the song rather feels to me like a nice piece of a bit of nostalgic folk rock. The acoustic guitar is strumming and by that driving  the song. Towards the end, the song is rather stronger in its rock soul.

7. There’s A Reason To Live

This is the second song, which is lasting less than three minutes. There’s A Reason To Live is definitely feeling like a song at its own, but the repetitive style also gives it a touch of a filler or an interlude. Not my favorite one, unfortunately.

8. Go Free

The second last song comes with country and summer vibes, but also a bit of an melancholic touch when Robert Forst is singing Go Free. Again, I am struggling a bit with the album.

9. When I Was A Young Man

With the last song, the artist is going back to his younger years. There are memories I wrote more songs and I heard the rain in our house down the lane. To me, this is a very pleasing finish of this album, in which the Australian is nicely showing his skill to take you into the stories of his writes. Good one.

 

Robert Forster – The Candle and the Flame – Spotify

I will add the Spotify widget once the album has been published.

 

Robert Forster – The Candle and the Flame – My View

I would not name The Candle and the Flame a must-listen – but nonetheless, this album touched me. It covers a lot of personal episodes and has some really amazing moments. Unfortunately, I would reduce that to four, five songs, which finally does not allow to go for the very highest ratings.

 

Robert Forster – Solo Concerts in Europe

Robert Forster is touring the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Austria in March and April 2023. Here are his tour dates:

Sa 11.03.2023 Strathaven (United Kingdom) – Strathaven Hotel
Su 12.03.2023 Edinburgh – Mash House
Tu 14.03.2023 York – Crescent
We 15.03.2023 Hebden Bridge – Trades Club
Th 16.03.2023 Wolverhampton – Newhampton Arts Centre
Fr 17.03.2023 Oxford – Bullingdon
Mo 20.03.2023 London – Lafayette
Tu 21.03.2023 Brighton – Komedia
Th 23.03.2023 Belfast – Empire
Fr 24.03.2023 Dublin (Ireland) – Button Factory
Mo 27.03.2023 Hamburg (Germany) – Nachtasyl
Tu 28.03.2023 Berlin – Festsaal Kreuzberg
Th 30.03.2023 Cologne – Stadtgarten
Fr 31.03.2023 Landsberg – Stadttheater
Sa 01.04.2023 Vienna (Austria) – Akzent Theater

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