Ride

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While his modern edge and sparkling energy are sure to electrify contemporary fans of the genre, the memories Trout bravely digs up about his dysfunctional childhood and unstable stepfather heavily shape this LP. Even Trout admits there were “times in this pandemic where I sunk into some pretty deep depressions”. This year he releases his 30th solo effort album ‘Ride’ on Provogue /Mascot Label Group. Not only is it yet another double digit milepost, it also marks nine years since Trout was left brain damaged after cirrhosis of the liver required him to have a liver transplant. Left not being able to walk, talk or remember how to play even a simple open chord on the guitar it was unsure what would be left of Trouts career or even his sense of self. By now, Trout knows that nobody ever really leaves their old selves behind. But with ‘Ride’ providing an emotional release-valve – both for its creator and his loyal listeners – perhaps this veteran artist can reconcile with his past, accept his future and live in the present as it unfolds. “I think you can interpret this album title a few different ways,” he concludes. “I mean, this album is definitely a musical ride and I certainly tried to cover a lot of ground. But, really, life is kind of a ride too, isn’t it? And I want to live mine to the fullest.”

He will also be touring the UK this summer, calling through Chester (13 Jun), Buxton (14 Jun),Brighton (16 Jun), London (17 Jun), Holmfirth (18 Jun), Edinburgh (19 Jun), Bury St. Edmunds (20 Jun),Frome (21 Jun) and Southampton (22 Jun). Blues Blast Music Awards – Blues Blast Magazine". Bluesblastmagazine.com . Retrieved January 23, 2020. This one-two punch of explosive guitar playing and relentless oomph is classic Trout and a reminder (if one were needed) of the brilliance when he steps his foot on the gas. However it’s not quite full steam ahead from this point as Trout (as he always does) pulls over for the occasional, soul-searching ballad. For Walter Trout, there is no ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Across his five-decade career, the great US bluesman’s music has always been a lifeline and call-to-arms, reminding listeners they are not alone. Released June 10, 2013 on Provogue Records, this latest collection was bottled at Hollywood’s Entourage Studios alongside producer Eric Corne: the same combination that birthed 2012’s acclaimed solo release, Blues For The Modern Daze. The atmosphere, remembers Trout, was one of spit, grit and seat-of-the-pants energy: “Spontaneity is so important with this sort of music. Everybody was saying, ‘Well, aren’t you gonna get together and rehearse?’, but you don’t want to over-analyse or get too sterile. This album was all pretty much first or second takes. It’s gotta have warts on it. It’s gotta have a bit of grease in it.”The New Jersey maestro spent time in John Mayall’s Blues Breakers and Canned Heat before embarking on a prolific solo career and his most recent releases have seen him at his most creative and powerful yet, from ‘The Blues Came Callin’ (2014) and ‘Battle Scars’ (2015) to ‘We’re All In This Together’ (2017), ‘Survivor Blues’ (2019) and ‘Ordinary Madness (2020). Local bands never got the breaks, and in 1973, Trout made the death-or-glory move to LA, where he slept on couches and scrabbled for work. “I came out here and it was a overwhelming thing,” he says, “because I didn’t know anybody. I just started going around to clubs where there were bands playing and asked if I could sit in. My first gig, I was stand-up lead singer in a country band, singing Merle Haggard tunes. And with my third paycheque, I went and bought that Strat that’s still on the cover of all my CDs.” The heavy blues of lead single “Ghosts” is a spirited opener as Trout lays bare his struggles of escaping the past and being constantly reminded of his mistakes. As always the guitar work is hypnotic and at times haunting – listen to how he holds the eerie, fading note at the end.

Trout may well have reached another high-water mark with Ride, which is amazing to consider. At the stage of life when many musicians choose to just play the hits, Trout is going artistically hard, pulling more out of his real self than ever and ripping the strings off of his guitar. We should all live this well.It begins with the crunching riff and harmonica of “Ghosts”. There’s a bit of a ZZ Top feel to it, “Ghosts appear to me” sings Trout in his inimitable, weather-worn style. He can’t get any rest, can’t get away from them, and the urgency in the music reflects it perfectly. There’s an outright slice of hi-octane fun. Walter gets horny, if you will (in the Southside Johnny sense…) on the brilliant “Leave It All Behind”. “Responsibility, politely declined” he sings and does so in such a way that suggests he wouldn’t be so polite if you bothered him again. Walter Trout, Mike Zito (Mar 26, 2018). Carlos Santana, Walter Trout & Mike Zito: One Life Saves Another.. And Another. Blues Radio International. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19 . Retrieved March 26, 2020.