This is a creative bloke who challenges himself all the time BUT with deep roots in blues and jazz stylings. As such, the amiable Robben always rings the changes with each album release..yet always he maintains his own strong character. In some ways he is truly the blues world’s Neil Young or Tom Waits. No wonder he has a following.

Starting track Tangle With Ya presents a touch of Elvis delay on the vocal, a funk tempo, horns and legato guitar. What I Haven’t Done uses tremelo on the amp and a Meters tinge.

Empty Handed after a solemn start settles into filmic, moody blues outing. Bound For Glory is a splendid song, choppy and fluid with a hint of Neil Young perhaps. Break In The Chain takes us into acoustic territory with a great vocal plus additional singing from Shemekia Copeland, Johnny’s talented daughter. The coda is pretty dark.

Wild Honey is not the Brian Wilson tune but an atmospheric slide feature and an unusual song. Cotton Candy mines a Stonesy groove with a solid beat and deep bass plus dense horns. Somebody’s Fool delivers more funk, with a lead vocal from Travis McCready and a Larry Graham groove. The chilly start to Willing To Wait leads into a Univibe guitar trip and isn’t a huge distance from the current works of one Doyle Bramhall II. Extra guitar here from Drew Smithers of Bishop Gunn.

A fascinating trip through Ford’s current creative world, maybe playing the studio as much as the instruments at many points. A nod therefore to co-producer Casey Wasner.

Pete Sargeant