Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
We spend the vast majority of our lives running from a past that is willing to be patient, cruel enough to let us run, hitchhike, Ride, our way ahead and then slowly, surely, and with fierce grinning teeth, whisper down our ears that it there, right behind us once more, waiting for us to stop and give into the inevitable.
The Ride is one we should instead accept, instead of running from the past, we should embrace it, own it, make it work for us instead of having it rear its head and terrorise us to the end of our days. Instead of sacrificing us it should step out of the shadows, pay its way on the bus out of town and sit and make plans of collusion and involvement; for the Ride is long, it has the advantage of close quarter contact, and nothing to do but speak frankly and with a heart to heart exchange of how to change the past’s perspective so that it may give the future a shot of redemption and happiness.
In a period of time in which many an artist has found themselves perhaps looking back with trepidation rather than believe the future would hold anything of significance, to take hold of the reins and push onwards, grabbing the past by the hand and making them the star of the show, is to be applauded and praised.
For the remarkable Walter Trout, time must have felt at odds with his natural exuberance and feel for the Blues, and yet out of the living breathe of the past comes brilliance, comes the muscle of a new dawn, as the brand-new album Ride sweeps over the listener and forges steel and understanding, so what was once biting at the heels is now the partner, the belief that fiercely fought to be recognised as the legendary blues man rethought the time around him, means that this recording should be seen as arguably one of the most important of his impressive career.
Across tracks such as the opener Ghosts, Follow You Back Home, So Many Sad Goodbyes, Better Days Ahead, Fertile Soil, I Worry Too Much and Hey Mama, Walter Trout’s indomitable acceptance of memories produces songs that illuminate the great man’s life, that bun with heat and offer a sense of salvation, if not of complete forgiveness, then at least a clemency, a reconciliation with the dogs of the past, and the shadow of the futures to come.
An album that radiates choice, a keen desire to keep moving, and one that Walter Trout in all his truth and certainty will provide with a clear mind and a guitar that keeps playing.
Walter Trout releases Ride on August 19th via Provogue/Mascot Label Group.
Ian D. Hall