Robin Trower - Something's About To Change (2015) CD-Rip

When it comes to a new album by Robin Trower, some things never change. The guitar work will be breathtaking. The songwriting will be heartfelt and fearless. The vocal will siphon the soul. True to form, from the opening swoop of electric guitar, Something's About To Change is a thrilling encapsulation of everything fans love about the celebrated bandleader. And yet, as the title implies, this album finds Trower twisting his talent into bold new shapes. Released on Robin's 70th birthday, Something's About To Change announces a world-class musician at the top of his game. With his own V12 record label allowing Trower to bypass the spirit-sapping protocol of the modern industry, it's no wonder this new album sounds so vital. While palpably influenced by Trower's deep love of post-war US blues, the personal themes and visceral music mean it will resonate with every generation. As Trower notes: "You use everything at your disposal to put into songs." And the songs remain the cornerstones. Trower's astonishing fretwork may sometimes take top billing, but the all-original material of Something's About To Change speaks of the gas in his creative tank. Tracking alongside long-standing producer Livingstone Brown at Studio 91 in Newbury, this was not a dry exercise in box-ticking, but a bid to capture the rare chemistry between Trower and his band. On drums, Chris Taggart's touch can be thunderous or feather-light. On organ, Luke Smith slips between his roles as support player and sparring partner on standout cuts like What You Never Want To Do. Leading the line, of course, is Trower himself, playing bass for the first time, alongside his unmistakable soul-in-fingers guitar parts. When one of the most celebrated but least outspoken practitioners of electric guitar declares that "I can't remember ever being so happy with a finished album before", you'd be well-advised to sit up and take notice.