Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
His name is etched in stone across the ages, from his native Catford to the having the world’s music lovers know him by sense of feeling and depth of character, he is the man who can make a guitar sound as if it is loved, adored and purr gently in the night by the fireside in contentment and gentle repose. In Robin Trower all things are possible because he doesn’t just play the guitar to make an audience listen; he plays it to make it weep, to make the crowd think and in all such things beauty is attained.
In his latest album, Where Are You Going To, that sense of purpose, of wanting to explore boundaries and kick off against the ignorant and inconsiderate is rampant across each and every track and it is a fruitful and as always, mind-blowing experience.
Life is challenging, it is at times like sitting in the dark trying to grope around for a light switch and not knowing if it has been earthed properly. The temptation to shed light on existence is only tempered by the fact that at some point you might get the shock of your life; it is always worth the risk in the end and in Where Are You Going To, Robin Trower illuminates the way with great purpose, spirit and dead on cool.
Life may be one that no one truly understands how it can unfold, how it will progress and what the eventuality will be but as Robin Trower takes his listeners across such bountiful tracks such as When Will The Next Blow Fall, Jigsaw, the excellent Fruits Of Your Desire, the outstanding I’m Holding On To You and Delusion, Sweet Delusion, life suddenly feels kind of sweet, full of promise and the abandonment we feel is one that is banished to the darkness, the light switch of illumination is blazing bright and the shadows are only an illusion.
A wonderful album, full of promises that the listener knows Mr. Trower will do his upmost to keep; Where Are You Going To, does it matter as long as Robin Trower is by your side.
Robin Trower is performing at the Chester Live Rooms, with Steve Nimmo as special guest, as part of a national tour on Saturday 8th October. Tickets for the concert are priced at £25, contact venue on 0871 220 0260.
Ian D. Hall