It’s a passion project, and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of the well running dry…
Now here is a man who lives for his art. It’s been a tad over 60 years since Trower’s first hit single with The Paramounts, 55 years since he left Procol Harum after five albums, and 50 years since he laid down his seminal solo album, Bridge Of Sighs. And yet here he is at the age of 80, still turning out album after album of new songs, all honey-glazed with his utterly distinctive style of restrained, bluesy riffage. And not just that, but he is still finding new ways to write and present his music. Back in the ’70s, Trower converted from Les Pauls to a Fender Stratocaster, then developed his sound by tuning down a tone, which allowed him to use heavier strings, and setting up his guitar with a higher action than most axemen use, all to perfect that thick, chunky grunt that typifies his sound. His last album, 2023’s Joyful Sky, featured the powerful vocals of New Yorker Sari Schorr, which required writing songs specifically for her style, and somewhat out of his usual key.
On some albums he sings his own vocals and plays all the bass himself, but this time we have a full band for some of the numbers at least: the ever-reliable Chris Taggart is behind the kit as always, and long-time collaborator Richard Watts takes the vocals, with bass duties shared between Glenn Letsch from his touring band, and Trower himself. Young London singer Jess Hayes contributes lead vocals on one number, which we shall get to in a moment. As usual in recent years, the cover is adorned with Trower’s own enigmatically minimalistic artwork.
This album fires up in the time-honoured fashion, with a mid-heavy piece designed to give a statement of intent, without pulling out the big guns all at the start. A Little Bit of Freedom starts without preamble – a quick run round the drums, then into a basic, driving riff with Trower’s utterly distinctive tones laid over the top for a few bars. The vocals come in pretty quickly, and apart from a nice bit of tight riffage around the two-minute mark, it chugs along in its groovy pathway – check it out at the foot of this page.
There is a definite flavour of JJ Cale to One Go Round, featuring a slow, almost diffident riff, with minimal wah guitar over the top. Sparse drumming is aided by a subtle tambourine beat, and female backing vocals are laid way back in the mix. An ominous lyric about making the most of the only life we get, drops out at the two-minute mark, and you can almost hear the breathing, before the band falls back into the almost ambient rhythm.
I Would Lose My Mind is more aggressive and driving, with a throbbing bass line, especially considering the basically romantic nature of the lyrics. The following title track is memorable though, with Taggart’s vocals laid over a restrained, picked riff, that works its way into another dark rocker. Again, it sounds more ominous than it is, the lyric about ‘filling the room with the curse of Raphael’ being a metaphor for shining a cheering light.
This is followed by one of the album’s highlights; the weeping Take This Hurt Away. It is sung in a noticeably higher key and in mournfully deadpan style over an insistent beat; the soloing is a little more technical, without ever breaking out of its slow, bluesy vibe. The Future Starts Right Here features an almost clear-toned sliding introductory riff and some tight chord chops before that thudding bass comes in. The set loosens up a bit here and actually rocks for a minute or so. It is noticeable up to this point that there isn’t a hint of malice or aggression about the lyrics, Trower keeping up his usual hippy-toned premise of love and togetherness, and resistance to corporate greed. This changes slightly now though, with the less idealistic tone of Tangled Love. Jess Hayes’ vocals have more than a hint of Candi Staton about them, which serves to emphasise the soulful side of Trower’s songs. The heavy snare backed by chopping chords aim it towards a kind of slow Motown, and Hayes’ smoky, bluesy vocals seem straight from that era.
Capture The Life Begun is a more stilted ballad with some jazzily individual chordage, but harks back to Trower’s early days of heavy Hendrix influence. The structure is reminiscent of such classic ballads as Hendrix’ Little Wing, or Trower’s own Fly Low, from 1975’s For Earth Below.
Without A Trace takes us back to the mid-tempo, slightly harder edge of the opening number, and then ends on a short riff to an unresolved chord. Another album highlight follows though, in the shape of I Fly Straight To You, with its cleaner-toned, insistent rhythm and funkier bass line. Trower does an excellent and imaginative job on the bass throughout the album, but bass duties on this number and the female-led Tangled Love are handled by Glenn Letsch.
The set draws to a close with a slow, romantic ballad in Time Stood Still, which includes another helping of female backing vocal. Trower’s ever-tasteful and subtle soloing is accompanied by a restrained, rim-shot rhythm, which escalates slightly during the course of the song. Rather than going out with a bang, the album slows to a sloping finish after a little over 40 minutes.
Trower doesn’t try to dodge the passing of time – five years ago, he named an album Getting Closer To The Day, in direct reference to the mortality we all share. Nevertheless, he still plays every day, and just loves to work on songs. It’s a passion project, and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of the well running dry. One thing is for sure, he’ll be pushing them out as long as he can hold a guitar, and painting his own covers as long as he can hold a brush. As I said, this is a man who lives for his art.
Come And Find Me by Robin Trower is released on 25 April 2025 via Provogue
