Robin Trower – Something’s About To Change

This set of fresh compositions from the pen of Mr Trower finds him playing and singing as well as he ever has and as we might expect by now, each cut drips with atmosphere. This is aided and abetted by subtle use of keyboards, only ever adding to the vibe given that Robin and I share  a dread of heavy keyboard block chords, which can eat a lot of frequencies in a band sound.

The title track has definite Peter Green echoes whilst ‘Fallen’ has a blues lope and a great jazzy resolve ;  What You Never Want To Do has a syncopated New Awleenz feel (all explained in a conversation piece with Robin in this issue) and Strange Love oozes mystery laced with poetic words.

The insistent shuffling chug of ‘Up & Gone’ has Trower dialling up a gritty tone but The One Saving Grace has a short delay on the guitar over a Mose Allison style number;  ‘Snakes & Ladders’ aches with sadness and few players can reel this in as well as Trower does – the late Roy Buchanan did the same thing by a different route,of course.

My favourite track is ‘Dreams’ which has a touch of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Trouble Man’  set to a reverbed funk tread – Trower tells me he will  likely play it on his forthcoming tour. As for you blues fanatics out there, Robin really hits deep on the Strat on ‘Good Morning Midnight’ and with a superb Hammond part in the arrangement.

Still strikingly individual, Robin Trower soaks this release in electric roots guitar alchemy and with no showing off or grandstanding. Class.