Walter Trout - Broken

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2024
Time:53:41 
Size:124,1 MB 
Label:Provogue
Styles:Blues/Blues Rock 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Broken - 4:50
 2. Turn And Walk Away - 4:33
 3. Courage In The Dark - 5:36
 4. Bleed - 4:09
 5. Talkin' To Myself - 4:16
 6. No Magic (on the street) - 3:21
 7. I've Had Enough - 3:47
 8. Love Of My Life - 5:31
 9. Breathe - 4:13
10. Heaven Or Hell - 4:43
11. I Wanna Stay - 4:36
12. Falls Apart - 4:02

Blues rock’s perpetual survivor, Walter Trout, maybe Broken in places, but not even the fractured modern world and personal hardships he’s endured have rendered him beyond repair. After taking us on a spellbinding Ride in 2022 (a record that placed highly in Blues Rock Review’s Top 20 albums of the same year), it’s apparent there’s plenty of gasoline left in the tank (even at 72 years young).Trout reels in a dozen original tracks (three co-writes with his wife Marie) and a bunch of first-time collaborators that include the electric-shock-through-your-veins pipes of Beth Hart. Through bruising guitar and a wry pour of gallows humor, the album starts with the title track, “Broken,” and finishes with one called “Falls Apart.” In between, it’s a mash of wrath and serenity, as the genre’s resilient icon “always holds on to hope” amidst the stain of dystopia.The opening anthemic duet with Hart is a match made in blues-rock heaven. Both artists share an unwanted parallel, which has seen them battle with inner demons that would have conquered other mere mortals. This extra resonance, combined with the grace and power of Trout’s guitar and Hart’s signature rasp and fragility, makes this a timely reminder about the healing power of top-drawer music.Trout never disappoints when it comes to down ‘n’ dirty blues, as he recruits the extraordinarily accomplished and inventive harmonica player Will Wilde for his thrilling first single, “Bleed.” They lock horns for a fabulous harp-driven boogie, with Wildes’s hard-edged harmonica almost upstaging Trout’s screaming solo. Once again, it’s a terrific example of two outstanding musicians delivering a cut greater than the sum of its parts.The theme of hope is apparent on the laid-back shuffle of “Courage In The Dark,” with Trout digging deep for the best solo on the album, bar none. While there’s room for a couple more ballads and even a country lane diversion on “Breathe,” the hard-edged moments served by Trout’s ferocious and passionate DNA remain untouchable and (ironically) unbroken.“Heaven Or Hell,” with its apocalyptic lyrical theme (“We get what we deserve”) and unexpectedly heavy chugging riffs, are underpinned by more melodic yet all-guns-blazing fretwork.The final collaboration on this album might be a surprise, but what follows is anything but. Starring Twisted Sister frontman and metal titan Dee Snider, Trout wants to rock, and Snider is more than happy to oblige with his powerful gruff on the adrenaline-fueled “I’ve Had Enough.” More glorious guitar work strikes in the immediate aftermath on the majestic instrumental “Love Of My Life.” It’s an effective counterpoint to the LP’s rock quota, resplendent with pedal harp, a string arrangement, and blues phrasing that touches every sinew.Arguably saving the best till last, Trout balances despondency and delight in the epic closer “Falls Apart,” — written and arranged by Michael Edward Brændgård Trout. Rich harmonies, soaring guitar work that goes beyond the clouds, and the revelation of the choral finale hold everything together.The terms “journeyman” and “stalwart” have been tossed at Trout over the years, but the man is simply a legend of the genre. Irrespective of the traumas he’s had to overcome, he’s a bloody brilliant guitarist in his own right, so let him fling some mud of his own back at the bitter schisms of modern life.This is his “escape from everything that is broken in the world, ” resulting in some of the most raw and black-and-blue songs of his career.Thankfully, this “elder statesman” of the blues-rock world refuses to succumb to the angst, instead throwing his heart, soul, and the proverbial kitchen sink into everything like he always has. And if it ain’t broke, why fix it?

Broken

Broken