Robin Trower
Where You Are Going To
(Manhaton Records)
I am due to speak to Robin about this latest set but have been savouring the songs and ambience of the record whilst he has been touring in the States. His singing gets better and better, never trying to emulate the late great James Dewar, to Trower’s eternal credit. For touring, Trower has a bassist blessed with a Dewar style voice so justice can be done to Bridge Of Sighs, Day Of The Eagle etc. Another plus is that Robin doesn’t try to sound pseudo-American, the great trap for so many UK and European acts when it comes to singing. With this set, Robin retains his reputation for being an inventive and motivated guitar stylist, never pouring too many notes into the mix and creating a blur of sound. All these years on since his first solo record, it is still refreshing not to be bombarded with show-off runs that soon lose all feeling. I get so tired of the many fretboard Lewis Hamiltons on the circuit – you’re trying too hard, chaps! When Will The Next Blow Fall is a fine opener, with Trower delivering a thoughtful lyric over an ominous riffing with a dirty undercurrent but precision ruling. The solo kicks in around 1:30 with a lovely legato tone and soulful bends twisting off into wah’d runs. At any volume this stuff sound so cool. The title cut is a winsome rolling slow number and again the singing sounds really good, this is almost electric folk. The churning funk of Back Where You Belong has a meaner sound, with a fine Trower ascending progression and the vocal slightly gritter and conspiratorial with a hint of Hendrix. Jigsaw has an intriguing lyric and the key is just right for the singing,
The guitar being surefooted but never plodding. We Will Be Together Someday is as tender as anything Robin has recorded, personal loss-inspired and utterly beautiful. If you recall For Earth Below with fondness, this one will resonate. In Too Deep has a restless core riff and bursts with electricity. The deep blues rolls in on I’m Holding On To You. Closer Delusion Sweet Delusion slows down a James Brown figure to send the set chugging out on a cloud of fuzz and pumping bass. As distinctive as any past Trower collection but with the lyrical content bringing real-life poetry, keep those Strat sonnets coming, amigo
Pete Sargeant
Robin Trower’s new studio album ‘Where You Are Going To’ is out now on Manhaton Records/V12 Records. In addition, Robin will be embarking on 13-date UK Tour in September/October 2016 with label mate and special guest Stevie Nimmo. You can find out more information here: http://bit.ly/1q0GZP7
You can visit Robin Trower’s website here: http://bit.ly/1RXKUsK
