Produced by Eric Corne / Executive Producer - Marie Trout
All tracks written by Walter Trout / " High Is Low " Co-Written by Marie Trout
Cast of Characters:
Walter Trout: Vocals, Electric Guitars, Acoustic Guitars, 12 String Acoustic, Mandolin, Harmonica
Teddy " Zig Zag " Andreadis: Hammond Organ, Piano, Wurlitzer, Clavinet, Congas, Fender Rhodes
Michael Leasure: Drums
Jamie Hunting: Bass
Eric Corne: Background vocals, Tambourine, Shakers
Anthony Grisham : Rhythm Guitar
Aaron Liddard: Tenor and Baritone Saxes / Horn Arrangements
Thomas Ross Johansen: Background Vocals
Walter Trout's 30th studio release finds this iconic fan-favorite reflecting on his life, 70 years of " Ghosts " that have tormented him, frustrated him, but also helped him along the " Ride''. "l've been at this since '69 when I started out in the New Jersey bars”, Walter reflects. " Suddenly I'm sat on my ass for 16 months, although I did practice guitar every day. My wife and manager Marie knew I needed to make music. So, her present to me for my 70th birthday was a brand-new record deal she had negotiated".
Going back to his New Jersey childhood and flashing forward to the pandemic Walter tells it, " This album is obviously what I was going through mentally and emotionally. All I did was express it. I spent a lot of time crying because I would dig down with my emotional core. I want my songs to have some sort of truth to them”.
" Ride “looks at the world with equal helpings of sadness, despair, and worry - but there is a hope burning bright that things can be better.
Walter Trout's trademark blend of blues-rock and Southern rock, thrilling listeners with his guitar-hero solos, is here as expected. However, there are plenty of unexpected surprises along the way - Walter Trout's harp work is a surprise on several tracks - and the emotional impact of his songwriting this time around is both powerful and uplifting, evidence of a full life filled with blues attitude.
"Ride " - “That song is about what it felt like to lay there in bed and dream about escaping on that train. I also wanted to express that music has always been another set of virtual escape for me “. Walter sings about the locomotive that rattled past his N.J. childhood home each night, a symbol of freedom, with the band tearing into the song with a high-spirited intensity. Check out Teddy " Zig Zag " Andreadis' piano playing with Walter’s soloing tearing off into the stratosphere. The video is amazing!
" High is Low " - is a slow-blues rocker featuring smokin' harp work by Walter himself.
" So Many Sad Goodbyes " was written after Walter watched a news report about the U.S. reaching the unfortunate record of 400,000 dead from Covid. Walters' guitar work sings volumes about the angst and despair affecting the world.
" I Worry Too Much " is classic blues where the listener finds Walter wondering, " I worry about my music, is it really any good? “, fighting back at the demons that make it “impossible gettin' any sleep".
" Hey Mama " finds Walter questioning why his mother didn't do more to protect him from the horrific abuses inflicted upon him by his violent, alcoholic step-father, a war-broken prisoner-of-war. The song is honest and direct, beautifully performed, bonding listeners and musicians together.
Walter excites us, energizes us, he can break our hearts, but then this music icon can piece us back together again, finding hope - and the light - in the darkest of places.
" No star cameos”, Trout has said about " Ride “. " Strictly me and my band. The only guest was my tour manager, Anthony Grisham, who plays rhythm guitar on " Leave It All Behind “. The reason I have to do everything with three fingers because of my broken pinkie. And to play a Chuck Berry rhythm, you need your pinkie. We were all in the studio in masks, and everybody had to be vaccinated and tested".
The songs on " Ride " reflect how Walter felt during the Covid pandemic. As a liver transplant survivor, Walter had to avoid the virus, and, being isolated, experienced his first period of extended downtime since he first kicked open the guitar game back in 1969 - spotted by a Danish concert promoter while Walter was filing in one night for John Mayall (Walter was a Bluesbreaker at the time), agreeing to finance a solo tour - Walter wrote " Ride " during the pandemic while isolated in California. He has since relocated to Denmark with his Danish wife.
Walter enjoys himself on stage. He has a zest for life - " I want to live life to the fullest”. He likes to have fun and Walter makes sure his audience is thoroughly entertained. " Ride " is 12 tracks of pure Walter Trout - deeply personal, emotionally unsettling at times, troubled times screaming for comfort, while calling out the "Ghosts" that haunt our better halves. Electric blues filled with pure energy and plenty of heart " Ride " is a trip worth taking - This is what the blues is all about!!